Looking Down From Cerulean Skies
by MoogleTerra
Summary: A retelling of FFVI. The Gestahlian Empire has been slowly spreading its influence north, and invaded the coal mining city, Narshe. With the help of a young woman named Terra, and the kingdom of Figaro, the Returners may have a way of rebelling.
1. The Bird Who Pilots Magitek Armor

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**The Bird Who Pilots Magitek Armor**

Narshe, a sleepy coal mining town tucked into the mountains above the Figaroan kingdom, was preparing for the oncoming night ahead. Men wrapped themselves up in their uniforms, with furs and wool scarves draped around their heads to keep in the warmth. Shopkeepers struck matches to light their gas lamps outside their shops, pulled their shutters to, and locked up for the night. Snow blew down from the mountains in a constant gust, sweeping over the buildings, and swirling in the streets. The citizens of Narshe had grown accustomed to the ever present chill and frost, and those new quickly adapted for the temperatures dropped drastically at night to well below freezing.

"Gods dammit! Why did we have to go somewhere so damn cold?" a man cried from his seat inside of the hulking contraption he piloted. His teeth would not stop chattering no matter how hard he tried to control it.

"We were ordered to invade, Wedge, deal with it. The Emperor would be furious if we disobeyed." His companion replied with a pointed look.

"I know that sir, but why couldn't that frozen esper have been dug up in a warm place? Like Jidoor?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because frozen things like the cold?" The higher ranking soldier pulled the bulletproof glass visor lower on his cockpit to help block the never ending assault from the snowstorm. "And Jidoor doesn't even have a coal mine."

"Whatever. So we're almost at Narshe, now what?" Wedge asked, shivering in his uniform, disregarding his higher-up's logic, and wishing the weapons developers could have installed heaters in the Magitek Armor Units.

"We go into the mines beyond the town and take the frozen creature," Vicks pushed his glasses up on his nose with a finger as he tried to ignore the chilly air the best he could.

On their ledge, they could see Narshe rather well. The gas lights lining the cobblestone streets looked like stars twinkling in the night, as if the sky was in front of their eyes instead of above them. Vicks looked back at the woman accompanying them; with her blank stare she almost looked like a corpse. A surge of unease ricocheted through his spine as her eyes glanced at him for a split second.

"How big is it? I hope we can carry it back to the ship, sir" Wedge asked, scratching his dark hair under his helmet, squinting at the town ahead.

"Well, it can't be too big. I mean if the ice shard was too large then the Emperor would have sent a crane or some other type of tek." Vicks patted his control panel with a sly grin in an attempt to drive away the disquiet, "Magitek Armor can lift a lot though, so we should be fine."

"Alright, alright! Let's get going," Wedge pulled ahead with a lurch and a few mutters about how he wished he could feel his toes again.

The woman followed him wordlessly, moving her Armor with a certain grace.

Vicks looked at the sky, at the fresh dark clouds coming in from the mountains like ink spreading in water, "You can't even see the moon for the storm clouds."

Up ahead, Wedge was trying to start a conversation with the young woman.

"So, why are you coming with us?" he asked, rubbing his hands together to create friction while he steered his Magitek Armor with his knee.

"I was ordered to," she replied in a monotonous voice, not even glancing over at him.

"Did they think that this mission would be dangerous?"

Silence.

"Is that a yes?" Wedge looked at her curiously.

"No," was her almost mechanic response.

"So the mission is not dangerous?"

Silence.

"Okay, well, what's that thing on your head?" he asked, pointing at the flecked jewels that caught the fading light from between locks of green hair.

"What do you mean?" The woman turned her head a fraction in his direction, but her eyes remained fixed on the speckled horizon.

Vicks came up next to Wedge, "That's a slave crown Cid's been developing. I know that you're a lower rung on the ladder, but I thought you'd know."

"A what?" Wedge scratched at his hair beneath his brown helmet, not even bothering to disguise his confusion.

"A slave crown. It's a device that rips away the wearer's free will, and makes them follow any orders given. I don't know much more than that, but that's what General Kefka told me during the briefing. She will follow any of our orders."

"But she's the Imperial Witch right? Shouldn't that mean that she's powerful enough to fight back? I mean, from what I've heard…" Wedge trailed off, his eyes moving to the thin form ahead of them pressing buttons on her control panel.

"She can't fight it, you idiot! That's the point of the slave crown, to have complete control over a person. Can you imagine what would happen if she didn't have that thing on her? She could torch the entire Empire and kill everybody." Vicks did not let his gaze settle on the witch as he spoke; instead he let it linger on the buildings that were much easier to make out by then.

Wedge looked at the witch again as if trying to make sure that she was not about to rear back and attack them, "Are you serious? That device is keeping her at bay?"

Vicks let out a sigh, "Yes, that's why the Emperor had the slave crown created. So she won't blow us all to bits."

The rumors had to be true if the Emperor had put a restraint on a young woman such as herself. It was inhumane, but had to be done, or else she would lose control. Or so they had been told.

"We'll be alright as long as the crown remains on her head. As long as she doesn't regain her free will, we will all live. That's what Kefka said, and why would he lie about such a serious thing?"

A look up let Vicks see the witch's form as she led them along. Her green hair that curled like a lamb's wool, her pale skin that hinted at how little sunlight she had seen, now rosy from the cold. It made Vicks cringe when he noticed how her thin frame shivered under her cloak.  
Despite her being the dangerous Imperial Witch with the eyes of a doll, she was a pretty girl. A girl as young as she was should not have to endure that situation, not one who should be courting young men and enjoying her youth.

The group neared the gates of Narshe steadily. Vicks and Wedge both scanned the perimeters for any guns trained at their heads or for any ambushes coming down from the needle tree lines on either side of the town. The wind howled fiercely in their ears and the heavy footfalls of their Magitek Armor echoed into the night.

A building sat off to the left side of the gates with a man shrouded in scarves and furs leaning against the front window. He snapped his head up at the approaching sound of heavy metal footfalls, and scrambled inside. When the door slammed shut, Wedge could make out what the sign hanging above the door said as they passed it by.

"The library is outside of the town? Strange," he commented, scrunching his eyebrows together in thought.

Narshe guards stood at attention just inside the city gates with their rifles resting against their shoulders, all gaping at the oncoming small division of Magitek Armor. One guard in a darker uniform stepped forwards from the group, shouting, "What in goddess's name are Imperial troops doing here?"

"Don't answer any questions. Just take out any interlopers, we have a job to do," Vicks told his soldiers as they approached the gates.

Wedge nodded and pressed forwards, earning a bullet in the hull of his armor. It pinged off, not even making a dent as he rushed the guards. His hands flew over his control panel and in effect, his tek quickened its pace and snapped shut the glass dome.

"Stop this at once!" The leader of the guards demanded, firing another round at the oncoming machine.

"Narshe is neutral, you pigs!" Another guard shouted as he aimed his gun.

The Narshe men swung their spears and shot their guns, trying with all of their might to hold off the Imperial soldier who had pulled ahead of his comrades. None of their attacks did much damage, and upon realizing this they were being gunned down by a fire beam.

The tang of burning flesh filled the air, making Vicks wince as he reached the bloody smears on the cobblestones. Little bits of muscle, sinew, gore, and other unpleasant things were scattered across the gate entrance from where the guards were blasted.

The echo of a scream lingered in the frigid night air, sending chills dancing up and down their spines. Somehow, no matter how long one had been in the military, the sound of death was still unnerving in its finality.

Going north through the streets of Narshe, the party encountered more guards, who all protested to their presence, all trying to fight for their town, all dying painfully, equally. Vicks and Wedge watched as their companion in arms became the killing machine that Kefka had claimed her to be. She cast spell after spell at the Narshe guards, never ceasing in her assault. She fired her tek missiles without emotion, lay waste to lives with her charged up energy beams, and crushed bodies underneath her Magitek Armor.  
Luckily for the town, she only attacked those who attacked her, or else she could have easily leveled the place.

The voices of the men who had died haunted Vicks' and Wedge's minds, humming low and eventually started sounding like white noise coming from a malfunctioning radio.

_"Not even Narshe is safe anymore!"_

_"Please! Stop this! We haven't done a thing to the Empire!"_

_"You Imperial scum! We will not end up like Tzen!"_

_"The Empire is full of monsters! Don't taint us with your filth!"_

They reached the mines at long last, and found only one opening at the end of a long series of wooden steps littered with mining tools. Flurries of snow rushed inside the cavern from the strong winds, and disappeared into the darkness. What with the abandoned mining materials, rusty hooks knocked crooked that once held pick axes and other tools, and torches long blown out, the mine looked all the more menacing.

Wedge swallowed hard, staring into the depths, and said, "Sir, do you think that this is the mineshaft?"

"I'm not sure, Wedge, but it looks like our only option. Our informant told us that the creature was found in a new mine shaft. Do you see any other openings around here? I don't." Vicks gestured around them at the absence of any other mineshafts in the immediate area.

"Maybe we should have the witch lead us inside, she might know where to go better than we do," Wedge let out a shudder, his teeth clattering together from the chill.

"Alright, she'll be put on lead," Vicks made a motion forwards with his hand to the woman, who promptly pulled ahead of the men, waiting for another signal.

"Okay, let's get this over with!" Wedge tried sounding enthusiastic, and followed the mint haired sorceress inside.

Vicks felt his stomach flip and his heart beat quickened, as if his body sensed something he did not. He chalked it up to anxiety of the unknown, and punched a few buttons on his control panel, making his armor stomp inside the cavern.

"Dammit! The torches are out! Anybody have a light?" Wedge asked examining a burnt out torch while fingering his empty pockets as if a match would magically appear. Vicks shook his head after checking his pouches and the storage box near his feet, only finding medical supplies and some rations. They both looked to the mint haired witch who had been staring blankly at them, awaiting more commands.

"Do you think you could cast a little fire spell on this?" Wedge asked, moving closer as he held out the resinous wood for her to reach so she could set fire to it. She blinked as if processing the request, and held her left hand out to touch it. Then, a flame appeared in her palm, brilliantly orange and crackling, and caught the wood. As soon as the torch had a nice blaze burning, her spell went out with a little puff of smoke.  
Wedge smiled at her before he started lighting the torches hanging from old stands on the rock walls, watching the cavern gradually start growing brighter with flickering warm light. Shadows appeared, bobbing, and flitting across the rock flooring, casting strange and obscure shapes throughout the mineshaft.

Now that the small group could see where they were treading, the girl led them through a few short caves that were so narrow that they had to pass through in single file. Rats skittered across the ground, escaping the metallic footfalls and hiding themselves inside little nooks and crannies to chatter at the odd trespassers who were disturbing their peaceful home.

At the end of a long passage, there was a wooden gate barricading the next section of the mine. On the barricade were many complicated locks and gadgets to prevent intruders from getting into the next section.

"This must be where they're storing the creature," Vicks commented, inspecting the barrier for any locks that he recognized.

"Yeah, I've got an idea. You two move back a few yards!" Wedge instructed with a grin on his face. His companions did as he asked, and he moved his tek back away from the gate a bit, then rushed it, bashing the wooden planks to splinters from the force.

"Nice work, soldier," Vicks beamed, coming to stand beside his comrade.

"No problem! Like a measly little fence could keep us out."

As the soldiers were going inside the next room, a Narshe guard dashed out from behind a stone pillar roughly cut out of the bedrock.

"Stop right there! You aren't getting the esper that easily!" he yelled, brandishing his spear at the intruders.

"Move outta the way, or we'll go through you!" Wedge replied wryly.

The guard whipped a whistle out of his scarf and blew it. The piercing sound echoed shrilly off the cave walls.  
Then, an enormous pale yellow snail with mean red eyes at the top of his eye stalks slithered its way towards them at a pace that was much faster than common snails.

"Whelk! Defend the esper! Defend Narshe's pride!" the guard shouted as he ran out of the passage to get out of the way, and possibly alert the town elder of having to use their last defense.

"Shit! The bugger ran off!" Vicks cursed, realizing that they may have even more guardsmen after them.

"I think we have something more important to worry about now!" Wedge shouted, pushing buttons on his control panel furiously.

Vicks turned his tek towards the retreating guard and fired a bolt beam at him. The beam struck on target and the guard fell with a heavy thump on the ground.

"_At least we don't have to worry about him now."_ Vicks returned his attentions to the giant snail monster right as Wedge sent a fire beam at it.

The overgrown snail roared, eyes glowering more and more as it continued to slime its way closer. The attack did not hinder its progress as it came closer to the group.

"What's with this thing anyway? A giant snail? What will towns use next to protect them? Caterpillars?"

"This is the monster Kefka and Leo briefed us about, remember?" Vicks yelled over the bellowing creature.

Wedge shot another fire beam at the monster, "A creature that eats lightning, right?"

"Yeah! And it stores the energy in its shell, so don't hit that part, alright soldiers?"

The Imperial Witch fired a tek projectile at the snail in response, and Wedge gave a quick nod, before shooting another fire beam at it. The Whelk slammed itself into Vick's Magitek Armor, almost hurling the machine over backwards. As Vicks righted himself, he was astounded at how fluidly the magic user could maneuver her armor unit. She had the elegance of a bird in flight as her hands moved quickly over the buttons and levers.

The woman shot missiles over and over at the snail, never letting up, and finally with one more energy beam, the creature erupted all over the place. Yellow ooze splashed on to their machines, and dripped from the walls with pieces of shell skewed about.

"Ugh! Gross! Look at this!" Wedge cried, trying to fling some goo off of his arm.

"Forget that, you can get a bath back on the ship. Let's get the esper and get out of here," Vicks said, going past the despairing man, ignoring the fact that pungent snail slime was dripping from his hair and face.

By the time Vicks and Wedge reached the shard, they saw that their mint haired comrade was already there, standing in front of the ice, staring intently at the chilling creature.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Vicks asked, looking first at the woman, then up at the being. It had the shape of a large tropical bird, whose feathers were long, silky, and colorful. Its eyes were black, and unmoving, but a look of terror was filling its expression, as if it had tried to escape, fleeing from something terrible in flight, but was caught in ice.  
It was like a snapshot of the past, an old fossil drug up from the planet's crust, the emotion in its expression clear and crystalline.  
Wedge came up on the other side of the woman, now all three were looking up at the bird. The witch got out of her armor, and stepped closer, as if in a trance.

"What are you doing?" Vicks asked again, but received no response. The strange feeling inside of him grew, consuming his thoughts, and making fear rise up in his throat.

"Hey! You know something, don't you?" Wedge asked, trying to grab at the girl to keep her from the esper.

She started glowing with a strange blue light, and when they looked closer, they saw that the creature glowed in time with her, flashing a bright blue light that resembled lightning.  
As her fingers touched the ice, a spark of lightning fluttered out of the creature and into her head, causing her to emit a pained moan. She did not fall; instead she wrapped her arms around what she could of the ice, and pressed herself against it.

Then, lightning welled up again, and flashed into Wedge, blinking him out of existence.

"Wedge? Where did you go? What's happening?" Vicks screamed, clutching his head tightly, his heart beating frantically. Another bolt of lightning came out, and came at him faster than he could even think to move.

_"Some people are born to die."_

_"..."_

_"Child, it seems that something is preventing you to speak to me properly. But that is alright. I shall see you again...soon. I promise."_

She looked up at the esper's eyes, and saw that they were looking back, blinking, and speaking to her.

_"You're too weak for me now, but you will return to me soon. You're very special."_

Another bolt of electricity shot out of the ice shard and struck her between her bright green eyes, hitting the slave crown, and then destroying her Magitek armor.

The bolt flitted up and down her body, knocking her back and on to the frigid ground below the esper.  
Her mind blanked out, body convulsing slightly, her eyes closed painfully, and for the first time in ages, she dreamed.

* * *

**A/N: Hiya! I'm re-uploading this fic because all of the old reviews from my old old old 2012 version were still on it and I wanted to have everything reflect on what I've been working on now. **

**Also, the chapter title comes from a drawing my best friend, and beta reader, Fop made for me years back where she drew Terra with wings coming out of her back. **


	2. Awakening

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**Awakening**

The screams and gunshots were heard all throughout Narshe. The sounds filled the citizens with a chilling fear that their town would finally be destroyed.

But when the rumbling footfalls retreated in the direction of the mines north of town, and no buildings were leveled, many townspeople ventured out of their homes to investigate the invasion. The men were armed with their best hunting rifles, and were quite jumpy when they heard anything that sounded like an explosion coming from the mines.

One middle aged man named Arvis stuck to his window panes with his small spyglass to survey the scene. He saw his fellow townspeople jump back when they came across the remains near the town gates. He cringed when the general store owner turned away from the bodies with a greenish hue to his face.

After an hour of watching and waiting, Arvis saw that the Imperials in their foreboding oversized suits of armor had not left the coal mining town. There was only one way out of the mines as of late, and unless the Imperials blasted holes in the side of the mountain to get out, they were still in the mines.

Something was keeping them, and judging from how easily and swiftly they entered Narshe; they should have returned to town by then.

Arvis was resolute, and went into his kitchen to grab his woolen coat and scarf. He slipped his spyglass into a pocket along with the black knife he used for hunting. Arvis went out the backdoor to avoid any unwanted eyes and climbed carefully down the wooden and stone platform behind the shop next door. His feet touched down behind one of the big brass and copper boilers that kept the town warm, and with a peek around the wheezing machine, Arvis was satisfied to set off into the mines.

He followed the carved out path of artificial steps and dodged the support beams jutting out of the rock walls from other mined out caverns, and found that the large footsteps left by the Magitek Armor in the snow went into the newest mineshaft at the end of the path.

Arvis had not been able to see the oddity the miners had unearthed because they cut off access to the public, and the prospect of seeing the rumored fossil made his heart pound like a hammer on damp cloth.

The mine was dimly lit by a few torches that threatened to snuff out at any time. Arvis picked his way along due to the tools that lay abandoned on the cave floor. He continued deeper into the mineshaft, avoiding the rats the best he could, and came to what was once a wooden gate.

Splintered wood lay on the ground. It was becoming harder for the man to see, but he heard the wood crunch under his boots. Farther along, he felt his boot slide on some sort of squishy substance.

"What on earth?" he wondered out loud to himself, squinting at the ground. He could barely make out slime left by something as he steadied himself from falling.

Frowning, he looked ahead, hoping to see a sign of life. Instead, he saw the esper encased in ice. It glowed softly, putting out a little light to see by.

Arvis could not draw his eyes away from the being as he approached. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before, let alone anything he could imagine. It was drawing him in, telling something inside him to come closer. His nose burned from the cold and something else that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

_Look down._

He did, and saw a girl with a strange hair color shivering and unconscious on the ground just one step away.

"Oh! I almost stepped on you!" he exhaled, flustered from the strangeness of the situation. Without thinking, Arvis picked up the young woman, spotted a bag that looked like it belonged to her a few feet away, and with a last long look at the frozen esper, he hurried back to his house.

Once Arvis was back inside his home, he stamped his feet on the mat and carried the girl to his bed.

He laid her down on the mattress gently, being careful not to wake her with a start, and sat her bag on the floor near the bed.

"How extraordinary it is that you have green hair!" he chuckled, wondering aloud if it was dyed.

The girl did not let out a single noise of protest as he tucked her in. Her body shivered for a few minutes before it finally relaxed, and the redness of her nose and cheeks diminished soon. Her head drooped over on its side on the feather pillows, and something caught Arvis's eye.

It was shiny, with jewels that smoldered in the candlelight.

"What's this?" he touched the circlet tenderly, afraid he would break it if he handled it roughly.

"This cannot be comfortable to wear in bed," he said to the girl, deciding to slip it off for her. He removed the crown easily enough, and set it on the bedside table next to the candlesticks.

Something in his mind clicked; he knew what the circlet was. A sickening feeling washed over him upon realizing what the circlet was, and he swore under his breath. Arvis looked over at the circlet and saw that it seemed to grow more menacing the more he looked at it.

A groan came from the girl's mouth then, along with a grimace as she adjusted herself in her sleep. Arvis touched her forehead lightly, but retracted it with a jerk. His hand felt like he just stuck it on a boiling tea kettle.

"What on earth?" Arvis knelt down next to her and saw that her skin had drained of color and no drops of sweat beaded on her face.

The man jumped to his feet and went quickly to his writing desk in the living room. He unlocked it and started shuffling through papers until the letter he was looking for came into view. The letters were scrawled on the page roughly and confirmed his suspicions.

"_Arcell saw the girl we heard about from our contact in Albrook. She torched fifty Imperial soldiers within minutes under General Kefka's command."_

The girl lying in Arvis's bed had created a massacre of her fellow soldiers. She was the weapon that Gestahl had been keeping under lock and key.

Arvis went to brew some tea in the kitchen. She would need it when she woke up. He set out a pair of mugs on the kitchen table, all the while chuckling to himself. He was keeping an Imperial in his house, and he was going to offer her a cup of tea no less! Banon would have a laugh about it when he found out. But opportunities like this do not come along very often, and he must grab at them when he can.

"Excuse me, but where am I?" a soft whispery voice asked from behind Arvis, causing him to jump and nearly drop the sugar bowl on the hardwood floor. The girl stood in the doorway, eyes wide with fright and confusion as they darted from Arvis to objects around the room.

"Oh, you're finally awake!" Arvis smiled.

He gestured to a chair at the table, "Please sit down; I'm making some tea for us."

She moved stiffly with her arms wrapped around her chest and sat down. Arvis poured the tea for them both and sat a big steaming mug down in front of the girl.

"To answer your question, you are in the coal mining town called Narshe. My name is Arvis, and I found you in the mines unconscious." Arvis stirred some cream into his cup and tasted it with a spoon.

Her eyebrows knit together as she stared down at her mug without making a move to drink any of it.

"Do you know how I got here?" she cast her green eyes up to his face expectantly. She wanted to ask more, like why she woke up in his house, why her head hurt so badly, and most of all; she wanted to know why she couldn't recall a single thing from before she woke up.

"Do you not remember anything?" Arvis countered, his eyebrows rising up. He did not know what had passed in the mines, but it must have been pretty bad to affect her memory. Or perhaps her memory loss was a side effect of the slave crown.

The girl shook her head slowly but stopped after a moment, a look of realization appeared on her face.

"My name! I remember my name, it is Terra," she replied, her voice rising in volume slightly in her excitement.

"That's a wonderful name, Terra! I've never heard of somebody with amnesia recalling their name so quickly. You must be made of tougher stuff than most."

Terra felt a bit better now that she remembered her name and ventured a sip of the tea Arvis had sat in front of her. It had a smooth flavor, and almost immediately she knew what kind it was and that she liked it with cream and sugar.

"This is Figaroan black tea, isn't it?" she gingerly picked up the cream bowl and spooned some into her mug. Her back ached when she extended her arm, so she tried to move in such a way as to avoid making her hands shake from the pain.

"Indeed it is. My, you seem to be recovering pretty quickly." He pushed the sugar bowl towards Terra as she was reaching for it and stood from his seat.

"I think a bit of food is in order now. I bet you're famished, huh?" Terra nodded more vigorously than she meant to as Arvis went to the pantry and withdrew a loaf of bread.

Along with the bread he put out a bit of fresh butter, a jar of jam, and a hunk of white cheese on the table near Terra. He sliced her a few pieces of the bread and left her to eat as much as she pleased while he went into the other room.

He scribbled a few lines on to a sheet of paper explaining what had happened and tied it up neatly so he could send it off with a carrier pigeon once the coast was clear of guards and inquiring eyes. Arvis took a peek out of one of the front windows and saw sentries going from house to house.

"_So they finally caught on…" _The man sighed and went back into the bedroom to retrieve Terra's bag and the slave crown. While he was at it, he pulled the hunting knife from his pocket and got the light shield from the wall where it hung.

When he returned to the kitchen Terra was spreading butter on another piece of bread and cut herself a piece of cheese to go on top. As she chewed, her eyes followed Arvis as he went to his cupboards and pantries and stuffed food into a mauve travel bag.

"What are you doing?" she asked, and instantly wished that she hadn't been so nosy. She wasn't exactly sure why she thought that it would be nosy to ask such a thing, and took note to figure out why when she had the chance.

Arvis tucked some bread and apples in wax paper before putting them in the bag, "After you finish eating, you've got to leave. The guards are coming for you, I'm afraid."

"What?"

"I don't have much time to explain, but you'll be okay. I'm sending a good friend of mine after you to keep you safe." Arvis sat the pack down on the table next to Terra's plate.

"But why are the guards after me? Did I steal something? Do I not have permission to be in this town?" she forgot all about her food and stood shakily, frightened at the prospect of being taken prisoner.

Arvis showed her the slave crown. At first she merely looked at it curiously, and even reached out to touch it, but withdrew her hand quickly as if she had been stung. Pain rushed into her sinuses and a cold voice floated into her mind. It made her want to run, cry, vomit, anything but be near that crown, and for the life of her, she had no idea why.

"This is a slave crown, Terra. You were an Imperial soldier for Emperor Gestahl, and he was using this crown to control you completely," Arvis put the crown on the counter and rubbed Terra's arm calmingly. She shrugged away, not wanting to be touched. She simply could not stop shaking.

From the other side of the front door came a sequence of hard knocks on the wood, "We know you're home Arvis! Give us the girl now! She's an officer of the Empire and we need to take her into custody!" Terra's head jerked in the direction of the door and cringed back. Everything was happening too fast. Tears threatened to fall down her cheeks.

Arvis swore under his breath, "We gotta get you out of here earlier than I thought, Terra." He gave her a glass bottle filled with water and helped her put her pack on her slim shoulders. He pulled her into the bedroom and instructed her to put her boots on while he found a cloak to keep her warm. Once it was fastened in place and with knife and shield in hand, Arvis sent her out the backdoor.

"I'll keep these guys busy while you escape! Make your way through the mines. My friend will be along very soon!" and with that Terra was left alone in the alley behind Arvis's house deeply confused and frightened.

Terra staggered on the uneven ground, her boots slipping slightly on the icy path as she took a step. She blinked hard to adjust her vision in the dark alley.

"What did I do?" she wondered, putting a hand against the side of Arvis's house to keep her balance as she walked to the bridge at the end of the backstreet. Arvis hadn't told her much of anything other than she was being pursued. What had she done to these people to illicit such a violent and fervent response?

Her cloak, however warm it was being made of wool, was not enough to keep her from trembling. Her short skirt that stopped above her knees was not in any way suited for the chilling temperatures. Perhaps the dress was meant for warmer climates.

As she neared the end of Arvis' house, she could hear shouting inside, or rather, arguing.

"She is an officer of the Empire! She barreled through our town riding Magitek Armor!" a gruff voice roared.

_"Magitek Armor?"_ the words puzzled Terra further as she unintentionally stopped to listen for a moment. Those words made a feeling of disgust rise in her throat and conjured up flashes of what she assumed to be memories. The control panels that were cold to the touch, the loud thunking noise that came every time the machine took a step and the bright flames that issued out of a hole in the front of the machine. Each made Terra's stomach squirm around the food she had eaten only moments before, threatening to come back up.

More yelling issued from the house, making the hair of Terra's neck stand on end. She tried to ignore it as she continued on and reached the beginning of the bridge suspended on ropes. The planks of wood looked worn in some places, but she would try to avoid those when she came to them.

The green haired woman peered down at Narshe from around the corner, finding it to look like a pleasant place to live, despite the cold. She let out a teeth-chattering shiver, taking in the pale light from the street lamps, the chugging and grinding noises coming from the engines that let out puffs of steam, and the simple, yet handsome architecture. Narshe guards bustled around below in the streets, all soliciting houses, looking for her, from what she could hear.

She had to hurry or else the time that Arvis bought her would be for nothing, so she took a timid step on to the bridge. Each step she took sounded ten times louder in her ears, as if the steps were signaling to the guards, "Up here! Look! She's here!"

Terra's heart pounded in her ears and her chest seized as she moved carefully across the planks of wood. A look down at the ground many, many yards below made her vision go double, so she avoided glancing down as much as she could. She neared the middle of the hanging bridge when a guard spotted her silhouette against the dark sky.

"Hey! There she is!" he shouted, pointing as his fellow guards ran to his side. Terra froze in place, her stomach flipped when she heard them clamoring below. _Oh no._

"Let's find a way up there, men!" another guard commanded. The men ran off to sound the alarm and gather the rest of the guards for pursuit.

Terra scurried across the remaining half of the bridge, not paying any attention to the rotten parts which gave away when trod on. She ran into the entrance of the mine, and did not stop until it became too dark for her to see past her own nose.

"Gosh, what do I do now?" she squeaked, panting as she leaned back against the rock wall behind her. Without a thought, Terra raised her left hand, focused for a second, and a small fire appeared in her palm. She attached her shield to her pack securely and tucked the hunting knife in one of the scarves tied around her waist.

"At least I can see where I'm going now. Which way should I go, though?" she wondered out loud, her voice echoing off the rocks. The flame she made helped her calm down as she decided to keep walking until the person Arvis said he would send arrived.

"If I stay put, those guards will find me quicker. Maybe I'll run into that person sometime soon..."

Terra went down a corridor with rats that skittered around her feet and torches that looked long burnt out on the walls. She kicked at the rats when they crossed her path, and eventually came to a small bridge that crossed a deep chasm in the ground.

When she got across the bridge, she came to a forked corridor that did not look like either one was a better choice than the other. Terra puzzled over which path to take when she heard voices coming from somewhere close by in the mines. The voices were magnified by the echoes, but sounded close enough that she could even hear footsteps coming closer on the ground.

She bolted down one path at random; her flame flickered wildly as she ran. Terra wished over and over for the help from Arvis to come sooner.

The voices grew louder the farther she went, and shadows appeared on the walls around a bend in the path.

"There she is! We found the bitch!" an older guard cried, issuing whoops of victory from his comrades.

"Come 'ere!" another guard raged, moving towards her aggressively with a spear in hand.

"No!" she cried, turning to run back the way she came, but found another throng of guards waiting for her. Terra shrieked as she was cornered, her legs shook as she backed up to the rock wall and her little flame went out with a puff of gray smoke.

Before the men could even grab her curly hair, the ground gave away with a deafening groan, sending Terra plummeting down to the level below. She landed on her knees, with her stomach and face following in painful succession. Rocks and debris showered down upon her back.

Cries of anger and disappointment floated into her ears as she tried moving, crawling a few feet forwards before the pain blossomed into her senses. Bubbles of darkness started flooding her vision as her body started issuing sparks of lime green light that bobbed in the air a moment before absorbing back into her. Her wounded limbs started healing as all of her energy was drained away from the strain of casting such spells.

Terra's body still cast her spells as her mind blanked out, and darkness took over.

_Fire enveloped her vision. The smell of scorched wood filled her nostrils as she rode past. The metallic clanking of her Magitek Armor rang out in the strangely quiet village. Dead bodies came into her view. Some were split in half, their insides spilling out into the dirt._

_Some were mangled so badly their eyes remained the only part untouched. The corpses stared at her as she approached, and continued staring when she crushed their legs and chests with the leg structures of her armor. Blood flowed through the streets, mixing with the scent of smoke and made her cough in disgust._

_Everybody in the village was dead. And she was the cause. A man with a blond ponytail and face makeup pulled up beside her in his Magitek Armor, cackling at the carnage while she struggled with herself to scream. Nothing came from her mouth._

_"What a wonderful little killer you are, my dear! You slaughtered every sad little cockroach in this pathetic place in less than five minutes. That's a new record! The Emperor will certainly be pleased with you," the man snorted, looking at her like he would some delicacy._

_"Empy Gesty might even take that crown off of you for an evening! What's that look for?" he glared at her, frowning. Her face was contorted with grief and anger. She wanted to stop doing this. She wanted to be free._

_"Looks like good ole Doctor Cid will have to check that crown of yours. Maybe adjust it to make the effects stronger. We can't have you making faces and thinking, now can we?"_

As Terra drifted on the edge of her consciousness, hearing that high-pitched male voice echoing the words over and over until it finally dissolved. Tears ran from her eyes as she made a futile attempt to escape it, only to black out completely.

A group of moogles were foraging in the Narshe mines for food when they came upon a young woman, broken, on the ground. She was shivering slightly, her mint green hair was matted with dried blood, cuts and bruises covered her skin, and her breath came slowly and irregularly. The largest moogle, their leader, went to her side and patted her shoulder softly, as if comforting her. The other moogles joined him, all patting her with their stubby little fur covered paws.

"Kupo, kup, ku-ku!" the leader squeaked, his little violet wings fluttering as he spoke. His friends all hopped, drifting slowly back down to the ground due to their flapping wings, and scurried off to do as he requested. The large moogle remained and, nuzzled his face against the girl's hair in a parting gesture before scurrying off to find somebody to help her.

* * *

A knock came from the back door as Arvis paced in front of his roaring fireplace. He had just added fresh logs to the fire, and checked his pocket watch. It was about three in the morning, and it had been a couple of hours since he had last seen Terra. He had not heard any word from the town's citizens of the guards finding her, so she still had time. He went to let in who he hoped was his friend instead of another horde of the Narshe guards. The knock was quick and not thunderous like the ones his door received earlier on.

And upon seeing that the visitor was his comrade, he gave the boy a smack to the back of his head as he entered.

"Locke, you're late! Have you any idea what's been going on tonight?" Arvis fumed, stomping back into his sitting room, the younger man following behind him.

Locke scratched at his head, shrugged and handed Arvis a note that could not be trusted with carrier pigeons. The older man read it quickly, letting out a nasty curse.

"This is about a day late."

"Look, I'm sorry! Would you mind telling me what the hell's goin' on? Banon hands me that note yesterday and now you're not telling me what's happenin'. You people aren't good at explaining things," Locke huffed, shoving his hands into his dark blue jacket.

"The Empire sent Magitek Armored soldiers here to take the frozen esper. They killed many guards in the process, and now everybody's in a panic over whether they will attack again. Two of the soldiers haven't been found, yet, and one, a young woman, has escaped into the mines. I helped her and fed her before the remaining guards came to take her. They want to kill her and this is not her fault!" Arvis picked up the slave crown from the mantle and thrust it at Locke. The young man's eyes grew wide upon seeing the device.

"We have to help her, don't we?" Locke asked, still staring at the slave crown.

Arvis nodded, setting it back on the mantle.

"If you could take some time out of your plundering and thieving to go find her and take her to Figaro castle, everybody in the Returners would appreciate it."

"All right, I'll send word to you when I can," Locke replied, going back to the door to leave. As he was closing the door he called, "And I'm a treasure hunter! Sheesh!"

Arvis shook his head as he sat down to write yet another note to send to Banon.

* * *

"Thief my ass..." Locke grumbled as he strode into the mineshaft where the girl apparently escaped. Luckily for him, he was not spotted as he went across the bridge because the guards remaining at the town gates were too busy reinforcing it against another attack. He did not want get caught by the Narshe guards because they were still sore at him for "borrowing" their supplies without asking.

He took a matchbook out of his pocket, and struck a match to light up a torch. The fire light reached well enough for him to see a few yards ahead of him.

He followed the pathways in the caves, moving quickly to find her before the guards did.

"Gods, I can't believe we're helping a defected Imperial soldier. Kefka's old toy no less! I hope she stays defected…" he muttered to himself as he crossed a small bridge.

Something made scuffling noises behind him, causing Locke to turn sharply, anticipating a monster. He did not see anything but his own shadow flitting along the rock walls.

"I know I heard something..."

He shook his head, chalking it up to rats, and continued on his way with his ears trained on any sound that wasn't his own footsteps. Locke jumped when he heard the noises again, turning his head every which way to find the source, but never saw anything more than a rat chattering along the ground.

Unbeknownst to him, a moogle was following him around out of curiosity. The moogle thought that the strange man with bandanas tied around his head might be trying to find the girl who was wounded. After watching the man for a while and seeing that he was different from the loud men with spears and guns from earlier, the moogle let out a "kupo!" and hurried away to find his fellow moogles. They would be happy that he had found somebody to help so soon.

Locke came to a large hole in the ground that was still crumbling along the sides as if it had been formed very recently.

"Maybe she fell down there," he wondered, moving cautiously to the edge and tried shining some light into the darkness to see if he was right. He could not see a thing, much to his dismay.

"Looks like I'll have to get down there and see. This isn't gonna be good for my knees."

Without any hesitation, the thief dropped himself down the hole, bracing himself for the shock when he landed on his feet. Pain surged up his legs once his feet connected with the ground. He groaned painfully as he tried to straighten up.

"At least I didn't fall on my behind. Yeesh, that smarts!" he said, and noticed that his torch was still ablaze. He scanned the ground around him, seeing the large chunks of rock from the level above, the crumbles of dirt everywhere, and the mint haired young woman lying on her front at a somewhat awkward angle.

The thief went to her side quickly, checking the pulse in her neck, and was relieved to discover that her heartbeat was still going strong.

"She's only knocked out," he moved her gently over so that her legs were not in such a crumpled position. Locke recognized the part of the mine they were in, and remembered hiding out there during his youth.

"Well, let's get cha outta here before the dimwits show up!" he said to the unconscious woman as he started to try picking her up. He was a bit conflicted about the whole business, but she was helpless at the moment. And he figured that if she did try to get back to the Empire, at least he could stash her in Figaro. Figaro wouldn't try to execute her like Narshe would undoubtedly. They could learn a lot from the woman once she woke up.

Just then, the sound of boots clomping and angry male voices echoed throughout the cave.

"Oh shit."

"There's the Imperial Witch! Get her!" the leader of the guards commanded as he caught sight of Locke trying to pick her up.

"Great, they're all here," Locke spat sarcastically, setting the girl back down gently and put a hand over his dagger.

"Kupo!" came from behind him. He spun around, and saw a group of moogles all regarding at him with their wings flapping. The largest moogle came forwards with a spear in his little paw, and motioned Locke to the guards.

"Wha? You guys wanna help?"

All of the moogles wiggled their antennae and hopped in confirmation.

"Thanks! You guys came at the right time!"

A moogle shoved Locke back around to get him to focus on the guards who were advancing on them fast.

Narshe was one of the only major cities that trained the native monsters to fight for them, which made their defenses that much stronger. Other than the very harsh climate that Narshe rested in, the creatures were formidable in their own right. Wolf-like creatures with dark silver fur called lobos leaped and snarled as the moogles fought. Several moogles wielded spears and swords that came from who-knows-where attacked the lobos ferociously in return for the wolves clawing and biting at them.

Locke joined a group of moogles that were fighting a large fur covered elephant that held control over blizzards. It cast its spell, causing needles of ice strike to the group, slashing and cutting into their flesh. One moogle jumped on top of the mammoth with his sword raised high before he brought it down hard into the back of the beast.

Two more moogles dashed forwards with their spears and started tearing into the mammoth where they could reach. Locke didn't want the moogles to have all of the fun, so he ran at the mammoth and started slicing at its face, making the beast cry out even more. It reared back on its hind legs, knocking the moogle riding it off, and fell on its side with a thundering crash.

"Great job!" Locke called to the moogles, giving them a thumbs-up as he ran to a Narshe guard who was coming up with his spear out, dodged the man's attack, and slit his throat as he slipped behind him. The thief snatched a tonic from the man's pocket as he fell, chugged it and put the empty bottle in his pocket as he went up against a group of five guards battling two moogles. One of the moogles threw a bladed boomerang at a guard, making him fall over bleeding.

Locke jumped on the closest guard and started stabbing his chest before the man could act. His comrades fell under the hands of the moogles, and soon there was only one enemy left: the guard Marshal.

As Locke was starting to go after the Marshal, the largest moogle pranced up to him almost innocently, ducked a swipe of his blade, and started dancing. The Narshe Marshal looked confused as the moogle danced around him, and a strange aura appeared. Then, boulders fell from the ceiling at an alarming rate, and they were all focused on the Marshal. The man screamed as he was squashed under the weight of the rocks, and the moogle finally stopped.

The thief's jaw dropped, eyes bulging at what he had just witnessed. The moogle scampered back to his friends like a cute little puppy, and squeaked, "Kupo kupo!"

The moogle all danced in victory for a moment, until a smaller one pointed back at the unconscious woman they had been protecting. Locke nodded at the moogles as he wiped his forehead.

He went back to the woman, picked her up bridal style, and called back to the creatures, "Thank you, moogles! I'm in your debt! You guys are amazing!"

They all hopped happily as Locke carried the girl through a path that went down a corridor with torches lit already, and down some stone steps. He reached the end of the path and sat the young woman down on the ground with her back against the wall. She started stirring when her body adjusted against the rock.

Locke went to work with a hidden switch he had made several years before, slipping his fingers into slight grooves in the wall and pressed against the small lever. A click came from the wall, signaling that it had been activated.

He saw that the woman he had just saved was rubbing her temples slowly with her eyes closed.

"You're back with us now?" he asked, causing her eyes to snap open. She trained her gaze on Locke's face unsteadily before wincing in pain.

"Uh, who are you?" she rubbed at her eyes next with bruised hands.

"Call me Locke. Arvis sent for me to help you. Luckily for both of us the moogles came in the nick of time to fend off the guards." Locke crouched down next to her.

"Oh! Thank you, Locke, I'm Terra," she replied, trying to stand up while supporting herself against the wall. Locke lent an arm to help her steady herself, which she took gratefully.

"That must have been a doozy, falling like that. Are you able to walk?" he asked, letting her keep his arm for support. She tried a step without any trouble, and nodded.

"I think I'm fine. I just feel really tired," she took another step and did not stumble like Locke thought she might.

"My head is spinning; can we rest here for a moment?" Terra requested, to which Locke nodded with a kind smile. Terra clutched her head with her free hand, sighing.

"Darn, I still can't remember anything..."

"What? You have amnesia?"

"That's what it's called? That man who helped me before, Arvis? He told me that my memory would come back in time," she looked at Locke meekly. He seemed to be distracted by a thought or something. Locke caught her gaze after a moment and shook his head of whatever was bothering him.

"Arvis is right. But don't you worry, Terra! I'll protect you until your memory returns. I promise, alright?" Locke told her, his eyes serious.

"We had better get out of here before anybody else comes after you, okay? Come on!" Locke grabbed her hand as he showed her his secret passage that led them outside of the town.

Terra felt some of her strength coming back as they walked, and soon did not need Locke's arm to lean on whenever she felt dizziness rushing back to her. Her bag bounced on her back and her cloak fluttered around her as the wind picked up and snow fell from the sky.

She was still very cold due to her clothing, but did not shiver as badly as she had before.

The duo descended down the mountain at a quick pace. Terra saw scrubby vegetation sprouting from the icy ground the farther down they went. She felt the names for the plants forming in her mind as they passed them by.

When the first tree appeared on the horizon, Locke ran to it and hopped up into its branches. Terra got to the tree and looked up to see him pulling a worn leather travel pack down from the foliage.

"What are you doing?"

"I had to hide my bag here because I didn't want to get slowed down by this thing. It's kinda heavy at times," he explained, settling the bag on his back and hopped down by Terra's side.

"I see. So, where are we going?" Terra finally thought to ask as they set off again down towards a heavily wooded valley.

"We're going to Figaro castle in the desert. Me and Arvis think that it will be a good place for us to hide for a few days. When I receive word from the Returners, then we'll go to the hideout."

"Wait, what are the Returners?" Terra felt curious, and slowed down her pace as she tried to process everything she was told.

"They're a resistance movement against the Empire. I'm Arvis's contact with the group. I bring him news and stuff like that." Locke slowed down to match Terra. The words just escaped his mouth before he could stop gabbing. He didn't mean to be so casual with his info. But Locke didn't feel like this woman would want to crawl back to the Empire anytime soon. His gut instincts were usually right in that sense…he hoped.

Terra did not say anything more, and continued on with Locke, deep in thought.

The Empire was looking for her. The Narshe guards wanted to kill her. And now the Returners seemed interested in her for whatever reason. If only she could remember more, then she wouldn't feel so confused about all that was going on. Where did she fit into all of it exactly?

The small party continued walking through the forests for the rest of that morning, stopping every now and then for a short rest because Terra was still rather weak.

The forests were calm that day, and the skies were clear, unlike in Narshe. Sunlight streamed down through the tree branches in bright beams where specks of pollen sparkled as they floated in the air. The ground was thick with dark green grasses, shrubs that were in bloom, and rich moss. Whenever Locke and Terra rested, Terra would sit down on a patch of spongy moss and run her fingers across it like it was a plush carpet. She would also relish the way her skin felt when the sun hit it. Her entire body warmed up and stayed at a cozy temperature.

Locke gave her a tonic to drink as they rested to help give her strength back. In return, Terra gave Locke a hunk of the white cheese and bread Arvis provided her with.

He thanked her and ate eagerly, "Haven't had cheese in a couple of weeks!" Terra nodded as she chewed a piece of bread slowly. She felt her energy returning slightly.

"We can have apples for supper tonight with some dried meat I've been saving," he explained between swallows. The thief stood and let her know where he was going for a moment. The girl took a long drink from her water bottle and waited for Locke to return from the bush a few yards away.

After they gathered their things and continued through the forest, an image floated into Terra's hazy mind. It was of a bright day in a field with high grasses and rows upon rows of soldiers in brown armor. They were marching swiftly in front of a flank of Magitek Armor. She was a pilot in one of the cockpits.

"Yoo-hoo, you alright there?" Locke's voice snapped her out of the scene in her head with a start.

"What's wrong? You look frightened," the thief touched her shoulder gingerly, and let his hand rest on there when she didn't draw away.

"I remembered something I think." Terra said evenly in her soft voice, her eyes trained on Locke's face.

"Oh?"

"I know what Magitek Armor is now."


	3. On The Run

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**On The Run**

The journey to Figaro castle was taking much longer than Locke intended or cared to admit freely. If it was just him, he'd be sprinting through the forests along the train tracks until he reached the desert sands and hitch a ride with a caravan on their way to the castle. He was inconspicuous looking enough to be forgotten promptly. Even with the spare bandana he tied around Terra's curly green hair, she stood out a lot.

For one thing, there was just too much of her hair to hide unless he chopped a good bit of it off, or snagged a set of desert traveler robes to cover her up completely. Her clothes were purely Vector garb, and that alone would set off alarm bells to the nomads who roamed the immense desert. People around these parts wore simpler fabrics without all the noisy patterns, and the girls certainly wore longer skirts if not for anything but the biting insects. The king would definitely appreciate her dress, but other, more conservative folk? Hell no.

And it was a whole other bucket of worms that anybody with a lick of sense could tell she was from the southern continent. Clothing styles were a dead giveaway anywhere up north, and the fact that hers were so…bright would illicit some bad responses when people put two and two together. The Empire was really starting to make some unhappy campers as of late.

So the young rogue led his charge of sorts along the tracks heading south for several hours, during which, she asked a few questions. Locke was happy that she had started talking more, and because it was no fun to travel in silence. Yes, he usually made up for that by yakking at himself when he was roughing it alone, but having company was a real treat.

"What's Figaro like?" Terra asked, walking more quickly to match Locke's longer stride. She recalled barely recognizable flashes of words on a page about the desert castle and trade routes through the sands.

Locke was more than happy to get into a long speech about how the castle was an oasis that any traveler could waltz into for refreshments and rest complete with his arms flapping excitedly as he spoke. "You'll get used to the noise of the big metal fans on top of the towers and the heat. The courtyard is actually very nice to walk 'round during the day. And the drinks are to die for!"

Terra tried to absorb all of the information Locke relayed to her in his sporadic fashion and organized it in her head. She should wait until it is past supper time to take a bath because by then the water won't scald her. They don't serve duck in the castle because they can never get a good fresh supply up from South Figaro before the birds lose their juiciness. And apparently, she shouldn't listen to a single thing that the king asks of her because he's a licentious ole git who needs a good kick in the pants pronto.

"Wait, what's a 'licentious ole git?' Is it dangerous?" Terra considered what she could remember in her faulty mind, and hoped that she could get ahold of something sturdier than the small hunting knife she acquired from Arvis. If she was going to be dealing with somebody who could potentially cause her harm, she'd feel better with a long sword that was freshly sharpened. Unbeknownst to her, she had uttered her thoughts out loud like Locke had the tendency to do, and caused the thief to break out in hysterical laughter.

Terra stared at Locke bewildered. She was not aware that her concerns were anything worth laughing at and furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to understand his amusement. Locke caught her befuddlement, and after laughing much more, to Terra's further dismay, he tried to stop.

"Nah, you didn't understand me, Ter! Eddy wouldn't hurt a green hair on your head!" Locke made a big show about getting his breathing back to normal in between left over chuckles. "I just meant that he might try to put the moves on you! He does with everybody. Man, woman, houseplant, nobody's safe!" Locke laughed some more as Terra puzzled over what he meant.

She was drawing up empty from her very tiny amount of world knowledge and the closest she could come up with had to do with fighting again, as far as "moves" went. She sighed softly and let her judgment fall to the wayside in favor of trusting Locke. Unless he was bent on handing her over to the Figaroan guard as soon as they arrived, she didn't have much choice because the fact of the matter was that she was alone and had a very spotty memory. And it didn't help her that she had no idea really where they were in the world. She had the feeling that even if she were in the area where the Empire supposedly kept her, she wouldn't know her way around much better there either.

Whoever this King Edgar was, he must have done something strange for a king to cause Locke to speak so poorly of him. Terra listened attentively as Locke continued telling her about how he'd get her in a nice bath to wash the twigs outta her hair. She hadn't even noticed the dirt or twigs within the past day or so, and felt compelled to search her curls for the suspects in question.

When a small cluster of trees came into view, Locke ushered her into them quickly before scaling the tallest one he could find. Terra watched silently from her place at the base as Locke retracted a strange device that he held up to his right eye. She decided to ask him if she could see it later during one of their rest stops.

She heard her companion hiss a curse to some fire goddess as he snapped his little device back to its original size.

"What do you see?" Terra hoped that it wasn't anything worse than a pack of monsters.

Locke clamored down from his perch and beckoned Terra to follow him in a new direction leading away from the railroad tracks.

"We've gotta get moving southwest on the double, Ter. I was hopin' we'd have more time following this route since it's the quickest, but it looks like we're flat outta luck." His demeanor changed as they hurried away from the trees and made for a path that led away from the mountain range.

Terra tried to keep up with his pace, and persisted with her question about what he saw. From the way Locke was acting, it had to be something much more serious than monsters.

The thief conceded and answered quickly as they continued on, "Okay, so we were following the tracks, right? That's the quickest way to the castle from Narshe because it's a straight cut south. But now it'll take us a few days to reach the castle instead of only a couple because we have to avoid the railways." He paused to take a draught from a water bottle he pulled out of his pack.

"I knew that we'd have to break off from that route anyways because the caravan people would recognize your clothes, ya know? And people really don't take kindly to the Empire, so you'd stick out like a sore thumb. But anyways, I saw Imperials at one of the train fueling stations."

"And they're looking for us, right?" Terra bit her lip.

"Bingo, so now we're taking a bit of a detour," Locke offered her his water bottle after glancing back at her. She accepted and took a swig of the surprisingly cool water.

Locke squared his shoulders and marched southwest at a pace much quicker than they had been traveling previously. Locke was not in the mood to deal with Imperial soldiers. He'd already had enough trouble with the guards back in Narshe and their nonsense.

"They're not following us, are they?" Terra's whispery voice floated up to his ears as she trotted up to his side.

"Not from what I could see. They were sending soldiers on chocobos north and south along the tracks. But there could be spies out our way." He kept his eyes peeled for any tell-tale signs of Imperial Special Ops as the high prairie grasses rose all around them as the trees finally gave way. Locke wasn't happy about traveling out in the open like this with Imperials creeping around.

Terra had to jog to keep up with Locke's pace, and tried to remember anything at all from her past that could be useful. Again, she drew up nearly empty from the small well of her mind.

"Is there anything I can help keep an eye out for, Locke? All I can remember is the sound of Magitek Armor walking." Locke considered her for a moment. Then he scanned the meadows around them briefly for any odd trails through the grasses or for the absence of animal and insect sounds.

"Pay attention to the sounds around us, for one thing. If there's one thing that's been consistent with these jokers, it's that birds and insects are quiet when a Heavy's around. Though, I doubt that they'd bring a Heavy out on a scouting mission looking for a couple travelers." And yet, the Empire sent three sets of Magitek Armor out to raid Narshe. He pushed that from his mind sternly. Surely the Emperor wouldn't make that choice again, would he? The game was changing for them, that was for sure.

Locke looked down at Terra again and continued, "Always be aware of what's around us. If you notice anything off at all, sure enough, your gut's telling you something." Terra nodded seriously at this.

"Don't worry too much about it though, Ter. Just stick by me and you'll be fine!" he ruffled her ponytail playfully.

But to Terra, Locke's good mood seemed to have vanished when he discovered the Imperials at the train station. They went along in quiet for the next few hours, both listening for anything out of the ordinary. She couldn't stop herself from looking behind them every few moments out of fear of a troupe of soldiers charging them down. None came, fortunately, but Locke's shoulders remained rigid, and his joking stopped.

Terra

kept surprising herself. Well, her memory kept surprising her, that is. Despite her mind defaulting to a blank much of the time since she had woken up in Arvis' house, she remembered things. She knew things. She had finally remembered what exactly Magitek Armor was used for and that she had piloted a model called a Heavy. Those are the big 'un's that only the higher ups in the Imperial military used, as Locke had put it when she had confessed what exactly she remembered about them.

But the thing that Terra remembered and kept thinking about over and over was a voice. A light male voice. A voice that could easily become high-pitched. It made her stomach flip and made her head threaten to spin. But she wouldn't let it because she was too interested in the words that the voice kept repeating softly, as if trying to sooth her. _Hide your powers from others. You'll be safe that way._ Was it warning her to avoid letting Locke know about her abilities? She wasn't completely sure, but Terra decided to follow the voice's advice for the time being.

Their rest stops were much shorter now too, and much of the time, Locke refused to sit in favor of pacing back and forth while he ate his apple.

The sun was near setting before they stopped for any considerable length of time. Terra was growing weary as she sat in the somewhat scratchy grasses.

"You can go ahead and sleep for awhile. I'll keep watch," Locke offered with a smile. Terra accepted and wrapped her cloak around her like a blanket as she lay down. She sat her pack under her head as a pillow and fell asleep much quicker than she anticipated.

_Her eyes were trained on the ground before her red polished boots. Goose bumps rose on her bare shoulders from the cool breeze snaking its way through the yard. Towering steel buildings rose up all around her._

_A white gloved hand guided her up the metal stairs to the platform where she was led to a spot well behind the balcony. The hand gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before its owner retreated to his place at the Emperor's side. The Emperor was dressed in black and red ornate dress robes of his office. His gray hair spilled down his shoulders in waves, and his voice boomed all around her as he addressed the soldiers below in their neat lines organized by rank and height._

"_We are witnesses to a new age of wisdom! Under our new Empire, all will prosper!"_

_His voice was convincing and full of passion. The man with the white gloves and white blond hair pulled back tightly cheered with the soldiers. The woman on the Emperor's other side remained motionless._

"_This power is ours and ours alone! We must lead the world into this new age! The age of magic is upon us!"_

_The woman turned her head to the side slightly, enough to look at her steadily, before turning back and punching the air with her fist as she cheered with the crowd._

_The cheers and shouts crashed around her again and again, swallowing her up in the sound._

"Wakey-wakey, kiddo. We gotta get a move on," Locke shook her arm gently before setting a slice of dried meat in her hand. He went to busy himself with packing up their stuff as Terra opened her eyes with a yawn. The sounds from her dream faded away before she could be troubled to worry over them.

The sky was dark and the moon was riding up to the middle of the open skies. She slapped at a biting insect with her free hand.

"How long did I sleep?"

"Not too long. Only three hours or so." Locke heaved his pack onto his shoulders with a grunt.

"What about you? Don't you feel tired?" She stuck the dried meat between her teeth as she strapped her bag to her back and stood up on legs that didn't quite want to wake up yet. The thief shook his head, chalking it up to feeling a bit antsy.

Terra wanted to press the issue further because she could surely keep an eye out for creeping Imperials while Locke rested, but he hurried off so quickly that she had no choice but to follow. Perhaps Locke was much more worried than he was letting on.

The pair walked briskly for several hours without stopping. Finally, they came to another copse of trees that hid the moon and stars from view completely.

Terra was too winded to notice how mushy the ground beneath her feet was, nor that the thicket was strangely quiet.

"Want some bread?" she slung her pack down on a flat stone and started digging around for her water bottle. Locke didn't answer her. She looked up and felt cold rush through her limbs. He was standing completely still, listening, with his muscles coiled, ready for something.

Without a word, Locke turned on his heel and grabbed Terra's arm as he went, dragging her along back out of the thicket. Terra snatched her bag as they went and had the feeling that asking questions wouldn't do at the moment.

He broke out into a dead run while still holding on to Terra, and led them away from the forest just in time to miss the gunshots. Somehow, she could see the bullets sent in their direction, and whoever was firing them kept missing.

Then, out of the darkness came the barking and the heavy boot falls of the Imperials chasing them.

Words on a yellowed page floated to the surface of her mind. The Empire transfused their trained war hounds with some strange substance. She couldn't recall what the injection was. But she knew that it made them stronger and faster and more vicious than any normal hound could be.

She looked back, and really wished that she didn't. The hounds were gaining on them with a hungry gleam in their black eyes. They would be caught if she didn't do something to stop them. The Imperials might keep the dogs from injuring her fatally, but they would probably let them have at Locke.

Locke wouldn't be able to hold them off with only his dagger, no matter how skilled he was with it, especially against four opponents. Terra had to do something.

"Locke, wait!" Terra cried, yanking her arm away from him as she stopped running.

"Like hell, I will! C'mon Ter!" he made a grab for her hand. She shrugged him off and turned to face the soldiers and dogs.

Heat gathered in her palms, and she let it fly in a great pillar of flame. The Imperials' screams carried through the night air along with the dogs' snarls. But these too soon died out as her fire crackled and licked at the sky.

Once she was finished with her spell, Terra slumped down to her knees in the high grasses. She was much more tired now. She dug through her bag and found her water, and drank very deeply from it.

With a sigh, she turned to see what Locke had done with himself, and saw him standing rooted to the spot, his jaw slack.

His mouth worked noiselessly as he looked from Terra to the fire that still burned quietly without spreading in the prairie grasses. Locke's mind reeled as what he had just witnessed hit him like a wave. Terra could do magic. That fire was certainly not from Magitek Armor, or a lantern, or matches, or anything. It came from her hands.

Rushing up to her, Locke grabbed her hands to inspect them for traces of some gizmo or white blisters.

"Ah, Locke, you made me drop my bottle." Terra protested. Her bottle had fallen on its side and spilled its contents into the grass.

But the thief didn't hear her. He was too focused on trying to figure out how she had managed to roast two Imperials and a pair of war hounds. It couldn't have been magic. That was preposterous! People haven't been able to use magic in over one thousand years!

"Locke, are you alright?" she asked with worried eyes. Locke had been muttering to himself as he examined her hands front and back and between her fingers.

"Terra, was that magic?" he asked breathlessly, bringing his eyes up to meet hers. Terra stammered that it came naturally to her and that she wouldn't hurt him, she promised. It was just something that she could do, she went on, and that she could use it to help them.

Locke's face softened as she stumbled over her words and looked almost teary. But he couldn't help the giggle that bubbled out of his throat. Terra fixed him a flummoxed look as water threatened to fall down her cheeks.

"Gods, that was amazing! Magic! Who knew this one could be so rearin' with firepower!" Locke shook his head as he kept chortling to himself.

"Wait'll Ed hears about this! Oh boy," the thief stood then, pulling Terra with him.

"What was so funny about this?" Terra asked, wondering if Locke had taken a bullet to the head or something along those lines. The firelight increased the shadows on his face when he turned to face her.

"I've just never seen a person magic before, is all, Ter! It's a bit of a surprise for a guy who's only heard of that kinda stuff in fairy tales, ya know?" Locke gave her a pat on the shoulder and thanked her for taking care of the soldiers. She nodded and ventured a few steps forwards before finding that doing so made her head swim.

She stumbled into Locke's side, "Woah there, you alright?" She grabbed at her head and tried to stand up without tumbling down to her knees again. Terra swayed unsteadily on her feet. Locke offered her his arm as he helped steady her. She leaned on him heavily and wished that she hadn't used up so much energy so quickly.

"I guess that kinda power takes a lot outta you, eh?" without bothering to ask, Locke heaved Terra up onto his back and secured her hands around his neck. The girl was too exhausted to object to riding on his back, and let herself slump against his jacket.

Terra mumbled an agreement to his question. Locke started walking away from the blazing bodies and judged by the descending moon which direction to take.

The thief's earlier good mood seemed to blossom back with a vengeance as he asked her questions about her powers and talked about how useful it must be to be magical. Instead of being put off by her abnormality, Locke accepted it.

"I mean gosh, Ter, my ole Nan used to tell me stories about magical creatures that lived alongside humans all the time when I was a kid. To think that I'd meet somebody who can do those things!" he turned his face to look at her with a boyish grin.

"Man, you look pooped! I'll let you down once we've gotten a few miles away from those sneaks. Bet we both could do with a bit of dinner." Terra was content to listen to Locke's jabbering as her mind rocked to and fro like wine in a glass. Locke didn't seem to mind Terra's lull in answering him because he would just continue talking excitedly about the legends of the War of the Magi and of the otherworldly creatures called "Espers."

After many fairy stories and ideas on how her fire magic would be useful on the road _(No more dealing with wet matches!),_ Locke sat Terra down in the grass carefully as the moon sank below the horizon line. Terra looked around bleary eyed, and saw that they were near the banks of a stream that cut through the tall grasses. Thin trunked trees grew with their roots anchored in the stream bed, and smooth gray stones were clustered around the edge of the waters.

Locke slipped his bag off into the grass next to her and started rummaging around in it in a messy fashion. Items fell from the main opening of the bag as well as smaller trinkets that tumbled out of the many pockets seemingly patched on the outside of the pack. The thief extracted three empty glass bottles and clamored down to the water with a splash.

He rinsed out the bottles and filled them up fresh in the cool stream. Terra, meanwhile, fought the urge to examine Locke's belongings as she stuck them back into his bag neatly. Her companion carried a lot of odd little knick knacks with him in his travels, like a roll of leather with a strap that held it together and the collapsible device she saw him using the day before.

He returned laden with water, and handed Terra a round shaped bottle.

"Drink up while you can! We'll be at the desert tomorrow, looks like." Locke sat down heavily in front of her with his back to the stream. He uncorked a rectangular flagon and took a few big gulps from it with a satisfied sigh.

"I thought you said that it would take us longer now that we aren't near the railway," Terra sipped from her bottle thoughtfully.

"Well, that's what I thought, but it looks like we made exceptional time with the extra walking I did last night. This stream is a marker I keep track with, and I'd say that if we go the rest of today, we'd make the last fourteen miles before tomorrow. I did have a map here somewhere, but it must've run off on me." He smiled wryly at his bag as if it had something to do with the missing map.

Terra excused herself to go alleviate her heavy bladder and hurried off to a private spot behind some of the thin trees. When she came back, Locke was slicing up an apple and offered her half of them when she sat down in her previous spot. She pulled out the last hunk of white cheese and bread and ripped them in half on the bandanna she pulled off of her head for a plate. She sat Locke's share in front of him on the bandanna and drew her hunting knife from the folds of her scarves on her waist to slice up her bread. Before she could start cutting Locke's up for him, she saw that the man had practically inhaled his food and was already trying to cram an apple slice in his mouth. Terra shook her head, amused, and savored each bite of her meal slowly.

After they finished their meals, Locke was bouncing on the balls of his feet, waiting for Terra to finish packing up her things so they could get a move on.

"How can you have so much energy after carrying me last night?" she asked as she pulled her bag straps over her arms and secured her cloak in place on her shoulders. She noted that she would have to tuck the wool cloak into her pack once they reached the desert so she didn't die of heat stroke.

The thief winked at her devilishly and produced a cut glass vial from somewhere on his person that her eyes were too slow to see. The vial seemed to appear into existence in his left hand, which made Terra wary of what else Locke was hiding in those bandannas and belt pouches.

He flicked the top off the glass and upturned it into his throat with a showy swig, "This little guy'll keep me going for another few days without sleep!" He tossed the vial to Terra lazily once he fastened the cap back into place. She caught it on reflex and turned the vial over in her hand. Silvery letters were painted onto one side of the glass, and she had to reflect it in the sun to make out what they said.

"I thought that elixirs were extremely rare, Locke," Terra went after him doggedly, though her temples ached from the exertion of keeping pace with her companion. The effects of her magic usage were still seizing at her with prickly arms.

He cocked an eyebrow down at her, "Looks like somebody's recovering her memory pretty well!" Terra merely nodded, and said under her breath that her past wasn't coming to her much at all. Only trivial things like what elixirs are and how to use Imperial rifles. Locke chuckled at her consternation and clapped her on the back.

"It's better than nothing, I'd say! Anyways, I found that elixir in the weirdest place too. It was shoved into a grandfather clock behind the first panel." At the interested and questioning look he received, Locke continued on to explain about how he had first accidentally found such rare cocktails hidden away in old clay urns and the like. Ever since, the rogue had checked every single place he could, when he had the time and opportunity, because people, rich people especially, liked to hide their valuables in "unlikely" places.

Then Locke went on into a long rant that took the entire morning about how rich people tended to think alike and how he had found dozens and dozens of valuables in the most bizarre hiding places. This rant would drift off onto tangents about picking locks, which Locke accentuated with showing Terra a tool roll he kept in his bag with long slivers of iron and bits of old keys he's had to fashion himself for specific lock types he's run into over the years. The tool roll was the bundle of leather that Terra had seen earlier before they ate their breakfast.

But of course, Locke didn't always have access to his leather roll, so he stuck some of his lock picks around his person just in case.

The day was a very mild, if dry and windy one, and Terra was so engrossed in learning how Locke had made his lock picks and hearing his stories that the hours slipped by without caution. Before they knew it, they had crossed a good deal of the remaining meadow between the Narshe mountain ranges.

Her heaviness of mind and limb had subsided, to her surprise, and she felt the familiar energy in her body that was her magic. Before, it was weaker and hard to draw on due to her high level spell.

The pair did not run into anymore Imperial scouts or war hounds, and hoped that they would not see any traipsing around the sand dunes.

As if to underline this hope, Locke and Terra set off immediately after taking a short break a few miles from the beginning of the desert sands. Terra made a move to take her cloak off, but Locke stopped her.

"You'd be better off leaving that cape on. It gets chilly at night in the desert." She complied and left her cloak clasp alone for the time being.

"Hopefully, we'll get to the castle by morning so we don't have to walk around in the bleedin' sun! There's nothing worse than having to go on foot in the middle of the desert with sand blowing in your face and scratching your eyes all to hell," Locke prattled on. Terra could not recall ever having been in the desert before, and intended on examining all that she could see and committing it to her memory.

Soon, as they walked on southwestwards, the grasses of the meadows gave way to more scrubby vegetation and stones. Instead of plants with broad leaves, the outskirts of the great desert had plants with leaves that resembled needles. The air became drier and cooler as they went on, and eventually, they spied the first immense sand dune on the horizon partially hidden by large dusty gray and brown rocks.

Encouraged by their speedy progress, Locke grabbed Terra's hand and ran to the stones and helped her climb up the rocks safely.

From there, they climbed carefully up to the crest of the dune and rested for a few moments. They shared water back and forth to wet their dry throats before beginning the last leg of their journey to the castle.

There was an art to scaling up and down sand dunes taller than village cottages, and Terra learned it the hard way. At least once on her way up or down a dune, she skidded to her knees, lost her footing and fell backwards, and had to rely on Locke's hand or arm to make it securely over. Hours passed in this way as the half-moon rose in the chilly night air.

The skies were clear and the stars twinkled brightly above, and whenever she could, Terra would try to pick out the constellations that Locke had pointed at and described for her. She particularly liked the star pattern called "the Charging Behemoth."

Locke gave Terra a tonic from one of his side pouches when he noticed her slowing movements, despite her not complaining of being tired. The liquid fizzed in her esophagus and made her cough from the sensation.

She covered her mouth to cough once more, and felt the tonic working as it spread through her middle, "Thanks, Locke." Her companion had gone up to the apex of the next dune, and let out a hearty laugh.

"You're going to thank me again once you get your skinny self up here!" he called down, waving his hands in the air, beckoning her to climb up after him. Terra slowly picked her way up the dune successfully without sliding off sideways, and immediately understood Locke's meaning.

The castle was massive, to say the least.

It rose up out of the desert sands with its banners high on the towers, snapping in the wind. From their vantage point, Terra could see tiny green clad figures moving along the battlements, and more figures rode on chocobo-back on the ground around the fortress. The large gates pulled up for a caravan pulled by two brown chocobos and was lowered once more as they disappeared into the gatehouse.

Locke clasped Terra's left hand with a grin and pulled her down the dune after him, running pell-mell straight to the castle gates.


	4. Desert Sands

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**Desert Sands**

Morning spread out over the dunes slowly when Locke and Terra made it at long last to the Figaro castle gates. The moon had fallen down below the horizon line, and the sky was pale and gradually grew brighter as the sun caught up with them.

Several yards away from the intimidating wrought iron gates, Locke brushed sand from his clothes with quick motions before turning on Terra to assault her bandana and dress.

"Gotta look a bit more spiffy or else the maids will outright attack you, kiddo." His eyes glinted with amusement as Terra put up with him fussing over her clothes with her mouth tight. She wondered if he had to endure being "attacked" by a legion of maids once before.

"Don't say much until we get to the throne room, okay?" Locke murmured in her ear as he wrapped his hand around hers. They walked up to the gates slowly and waited to be acknowledged by the Figaroan guard.

As if on cue, a strong jawed man strode up to the pair on his chocobo with a mug of something hot in one of his leather gloved hands.

"State your business," the guard declared, his eyes glued to Terra.

"I have business with his grace, the king." Locke replied.

"And this one?" the guard gestured at Terra as he spoke.

"She is my ward, sir."

The guard took a swig from his steaming mug, eyed them some more, and waved his free hand to the men on the battlements above. Then, the heavy gates swung up with a loud grinding noise that Terra was surprised couldn't be heard when the caravan went through before them earlier.

"Proceed, I'll send word to his grace."

Locke nodded and pulled Terra along into the gatehouse just inside the castle. The entryway was large enough to accommodate several hundred people, and tall enough to allow high topped caravans and wagons to enter without getting stuck.

There were four circular stairways leading up to the top of the gates, two on each side of the large room, and several doors leading to who-knew-where. Terra wanted to see where these doors led, but Locke kept walking through the gatehouse at a swift pace.

A set of tall wooden doors at the end of the gatehouse led to a courtyard with merchant stalls being set up for the day along the walls. Even though it was still early in the day, there were people milling around with shopping baskets haggling over the prices of fruits and meats.

"Must have been a new guard captain, pah." Locke grumbled under his breath, heading towards the opposite wall where another set of double doors lay.

"Do the guards normally not act that way towards you?" asked Terra, unable to keep her eyes off the merchants setting up their stalls with embroidered fabrics and shiny trinkets.

Locke looked down at Terra, "Not usually. The main gates are normally thrown open for all to enter. Yeah, the guards keep an eye on people, especially dodgey lookin' ones. But I'm a face they see nearly every few weeks." He paused to open the door for Terra, and resumed talking once they were past the pair of guards standing at the entrance.

They were now in a long corridor with many side halls splitting off into different directions. Locke led her straight down the main hall which was lined with antique looking suits of armor in varying styles.

"So either that guy was a newbie, or Edgar's gotten wind of something brewing. With all that's been happening as of late, I'd bet my jacket it's the latter."

Locke's suspicions caused a wave of worry to rise up in her throat. Maybe King Edgar heard about the Imperial soldiers patrolling the valley between the Narshe mountain ranges. She hoped that the king wouldn't turn her over to the Empire.

Without paying any attention to where they were headed, Terra blinked and suddenly found herself outside of what had to be the throne room. Locke stopped a few paces away from the intricately carved marble doors flanked by guards in full armor with crossbows strapped to their backs and spears in their hands.

Locke leaned down to whisper in Terra's ear, "Don't you worry about a thing, okay? Edgar's a good guy."

"Alright," Terra replied, though wary of what was to come. Locke's warnings of the king when they were traveling echoed in her mind.

"'Scuse me sirs," Locke addressed the guards, "Can you request an audience with the king for me?"

The guard to the left came to life with a thin smile that vanished as he went into the throne room for a few moments. Muffled speaking could barely be heard outside of the marble doors, and within another moment, the sentinel returned.

"His grace will see you now, Mr. Cole," he held the door open for Locke and Terra, and carefully closed it behind them.

The walls were lofty and had tapestries depicting battles scenes, portraits, and what she assumed to be the Figaro flag sewn into the thick fabrics. Stained glass windows rested near the smooth ceiling, and gave the room a warm feeling as sunlight filtered down into reds and greens on the gray stone floor.

A narrow red carpet ran the length of the room and ended at a pair of thrones on a raised dais. Four more guards stood along the walls of the room at attention.

Both gold embellished thrones were empty, and upon realizing this, Terra shifted her gaze downwards a bit before noticing the man sitting on the short steps leading to the thrones. In his hands was a little hunk of metal with cogs and gears on the surface and a long screwdriver, and he was seeming to ignore the oil dripping from the thing onto his finely tailored black trousers.

The blond man looked up from his tinkering at the sound of the door shutting and gave the pair a big smile.

"Edgar! How's it goin'?" Locke called, releasing Terra's hand in favor of jogging up to the king.

"You're lucky you showed up when you did, or else you would have had to wait while I finished up repairs down in the engine room." The king rose and stretched like a cat with his hands high above his head. He sat his bit of machine and tool down on the step before pulling the thief into a tight hug that nearly hauled Locke off his feet.

From over Locke's shoulder, Edgar saw Terra silently approaching. Edgar motioned for his guards to leave the room with his hand.

"Would this be the young woman I've heard so much about?" he asked, to which Locke nodded as he pulled away from the embrace.

"Edgar, this is Terra." Locke gestured to her as he spoke.

Before Terra could speak, Edgar dropped to one knee and took her right hand gently in his, "My lady, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I am King Edgar of Figaro, and I offer you my castle as refuge." He accented his little speech with a kiss to the back of her hand before rising from his knee. She did not notice Locke stifling a giggle at this display.

"Thank you, your grace," she replied, trying to keep the surprise out of her voice. Her worries of being thrown into a dungeon faded after receiving such a cordial greeting. Surely a king wouldn't throw somebody into the dungeon right after kissing their hand.

"_I wonder if it's normal for a king to drop to his knee for a lady…"_

The king still held her hand as Locke moved to remove Terra's bandana from her hair.  
"Hey, Locke, don't-" Terra protested for fear of the king reacting negatively. But Locke's hands undid the knot quickly and he plucked the bandana from her head.

Edgar's dark blue eyes widened upon seeing her hair as it flopped back to where the curls naturally rested, but instead of the reaction she had expected, he took a curl from the long bangs framing her face and examined it in awe.

"Arcell wasn't kidding…" he breathed so low that she could barely hear the words.

"Yep, she's the real deal, Eddy."

Edgar dropped her lock of hair and hand, and put his hands behind his back as he took a few steps away, "So, you're an Imperial soldier? Worry not! My kingdom and the Empire are allies." His demeanor changed so abruptly that Terra blinked hard a couple of times to be sure that she was still looking at the same tall, golden blond king from before. He was now all business as he whispered something to Locke with a sidelong glance at her.

Locke nodded briefly and grabbed Terra's hand, "Well, now that introductions are outta the way, how's about you and me go find some grub?" Terra nodded vigorously despite herself.

Losing his air of all business, Edgar stepped closer again, "I think that was an enthusiastic 'yes,' Locke. I'll join you two as well. Breakfast should be ready by now." Terra gave Edgar a sheepish smile as she agreed to their plan.

Edgar flipped his long ribboned ponytail over his shoulder and offered Terra his arm as the trio set off down to the double doors.

"Perhaps eating in the private dining room would be best for us. What do you think, Locke?" the king opened the door for them with his free hand and led the way into the grand hall.

"Yeah, we have some things we need to discuss, Kingy."

The group made their way amiably down a side hall adorned with handsome portraits of who had to have been past rulers, and through a set of red velvet curtains in a small alcove. The passageway concealed behind the curtains was dark and narrow, and the ceiling was low enough that Edgar had to crouch down to avoid bumping his head. Terra stuck close to Edgar and Locke as they walked in silence, but they soon came to a wooden door that Terra would have missed if she was wandering the passage on her own. The king opened the door to reveal a room which looked very comfortable.

There was a brightly lit chandelier hanging from the ceiling above the long wooden table, and more crimson tapestries hung from the stone walls around the room. Edgar detached from Terra to pull on a rope which hung down from a pulley in the corner.

Within moments, servants appeared before them in a line and bowed deeply before the king.

"Good morning, my king. What would you and your guests prefer to dine on this fine morning?" An elderly butler inquired, stepping forward with another bow.

"Bring out anything at all! Perhaps a bit of everything fit for breakfast so that my guests can take their pick." Edgar replied brightly. The servants bowed again and hurried off into a side entrance to the kitchens.

"What was that hall we just came out of?" Terra asked, eyeing the door behind them curiously. She saw other doors in the room too, and wondered where they all led.

"That was just a quicker way to this dining room, my dear. I thought it would be best to be speedy, for you and Locke must be famished after all of that traveling you've done." Edgar replied with a wide smile as he went to a cushioned chair at the table. Locke went around to the other side so that he could take a seat opposite the king, and Terra did the same and sat down to Locke's left.

Terra picked up a tall glass at her place and inspected it as her companions started talking. There were three different lengths of forks on one side of her plate, and she tried to remember if there was supposed to be any significance to this.

Edgar's tone, however, drew Terra out of her thoughts, "So, my reports from the scouts were correct. The Imperials are still in the area."

"Yep," was Locke's reply, "Terra took down two men and their war hounds when they tried to ambush us in the marsh one night."

"Oh really? How so?" Edgar turned to look at Terra, waiting politely for her explanation as he folded his hands in front of him on the table.

Her fingers played with a spoon and her eyes remained down, "I set them on fire."

Edgar's eyebrows rose, "Did you happen to throw a lantern at them?"

Terra shook her head, and with a glance at Locke, who was giving her an encouraging smile, said, "No, I cast a spell on them. They would have caught up with us otherwise, so I had to use my magic." First Locke exposed her odd hair color to the king, and now he wanted to tell him about her magic. She hoped he knew what he was getting them into.

"Really?" Edgar's eyebrows rose up more, if that was even possible. "Could you show me? I've never actually seen magic before. I thought that it had vanished after the War of the Magi." His mouth was tight, as if he was trying to keep from smiling or saying more.

Terra saw that the dining table had fresh unlit candles lined down the middle, and decided that she could show him with those. So she concentrated for a few seconds on flicking a spell on to each of the wicks, and then they were burning brightly without any smoke issuing from their flames.

"Amazing," was Edgar's only response as he pulled one of the candleholders closer to him to inspect the blazes.

"I didn't know you could do that without using your hands," Locke clapped his hands together a few times in praise.

Before the three could continue their conversation, the servants returned to the dining room, each pushing a metal cart in front of them bearing different dishes of food and bottles of drink.

The servants did not seem to notice the candles glowing brightly as they placed the dishes and jugs and bottles on the table in a neat arrangement that allowed each guest to reach the food with ease. Edgar smiled and said his thanks as the last plate was placed, and the servants left the room promptly.

"You know, it's really nice to have candles burning without any smoke coming from them. It makes the whole room so stuffy after a while, otherwise," Edgar said with a smile. He poured himself a glass full of something purple from the nearest jug.

Locke started piling biscuits and potatoes on his plate at a rapid rate, "I wonder what it must feel like to use magic." Apparently Locke spoke with his mouth full because Edgar gave him a pointed frown.

When Edgar's eyes trailed back to Terra, she shifted her gaze away quickly to the bowl of brown gravy directly in front of her plate. She busied herself with putting a bit of each different dish within reach on to her plate so she could find out which foods she liked the most.

"Do you happen to have any memory of how you came by such a gift, Terra?" the king's voice was soft and measured over Locke's loud chewing.

Her hand froze for a second at the teakettle's handle, but she continued her act of pouring a cup of tea. The tea had a dark red color in her cup, and she decided to pour some cream into it after tasting with her spoon.

"No, I don't remember anything at all about my magic. It feels like something that is as much a part of me as my arms or legs." Terra paused to take a sip and eye Edgar over the rim of the cup. He was watching her as he took a drink from his own glass, but she did not look away that time.

"Has anything been coming back to you, though? Any memories at all?"

Locke swallowed his current mouthful of potato and stopped Terra from replying, "She only remembers little things, Ed, like what kind of apples she likes." That was a lie. Terra glanced at Locke for a moment and saw that he was staring down Edgar with an intensity she had not yet seen.

She figured that Locke had to have a reason for lying to Edgar about that, and resumed picking apart her biscuit to dip into the gravy. The rich flavor on her tongue made her let out a pleased little noise and broke the men's staring contest. The thief showed her that she could pour some gravy on top of her biscuits instead of dipping them in the tureen.

The conversation turned back to the Imperials in the Figaroan kingdom after that, and Terra was quite pleased with all of the foods she ate as she listened.

"They have been stopping the coal trains in the mountains at each fueling station, too, besides looking for us," said Locke through a mouthful of porridge after finishing his previous dish.

"Gods, man, use a napkin!" Edgar tossed one at Locke's head while looking up from his bacon. Locke snatched the napkin out of the air nimbly with his free hand and wiped at the porridge he had dribbled onto the tablecloth.

"Anyways," Locke continued, "it seems like the Empire is just doing what they wish up here. I mean, that's kind of what they normally do when they send troops anywhere, but don't they send ambassadors to you first before barging in? Feels kinda like they're treating the mighty kingdom of Figaro like it's Maranda."

"This is the first time since the alliance was created that the Emperor hasn't sent somebody beforehand. Yes, it is merely a nicety, but to neglect to do so after over twenty years?" He let the question hang as he took a bite of his toast. "I must say that I do indeed feel slighted!" Edgar gave them a wry smile. He opened his navy blue coat and extracted a rolled up bit of parchment from an inside pocket. Edgar unrolled the paper and sat candles on each edge to keep it flat.

Upon looking closer at the paper, Terra could make out different brown and green shapes on a background of blue with writing all over the page in black ink. Flashes of the insides of tents with a person pointing at different places on a map tacked to the supporting beams burned in her mind. But instead of immediately telling Locke what she had remembered, Terra kept quiet in favor of hearing what Edgar was saying.

The king pointed at a place on the coast south of a yellow area on the map that was supposed to be Figaro desert. "This is where the troops are docked."

"Well, that makes a lot of sense. They can patrol from different directions," Locke grimaced. "Do you know how long they've been hanging out down there?"

"From what my men have told me, the Empire has been docked in my kingdom for about eight or nine days now." Edgar downed a cup of tea quickly with a scowl. "I have a good idea of who is leading this expedition north. Only one of the Imperial generals would do as they please in foreign lands without at least sending a pleasantry letter."

"Are you going to do anything about them?" Terra asked quietly, her biscuits lay forgotten.

Edgar gave her a pleased smile and proceeded to yank out a pad of paper from another pocket hidden inside of his coat and a pen with black ink. "I will show you what I intend to do!" He started writing quickly over the blank page. "I'm going to write a politely confused letter to the leader of this recent Imperial excursion and invite them for tea."

Edgar signed off the note with a flourishing hand that must have had the motions down to muscle memory. He stood from his seat and went to a corner of the room and pulled on a rope hidden behind a wine colored tapestry. As he returned to his seat, a servant came into the room swiftly.

"You summoned me, your grace?" the servant asked, bowing his head deeply as he spoke.

"Yes, please deliver this letter to General Kefka as soon as possible. His ship is docked south of the desert near the caves." Edgar folded the note a few times and handed it off to the servant with a smile.

"Of course, your grace. Would you like me to bring one of your special service members with me on this errand?"

"That sounds like a good idea, thank you. Use some chocobos from the stables as well." The servant bowed at this and pocketed the letter in his coat before leaving the room.

* * *

Locke's long drawn out details of the castle's hospitality were not exaggerations, as Terra had suspected previously. She would have to thank him for briefing her about the legion of maids later, or she would have reacted like an alley cat thrown in a bucket of ice cold water when the women in matching soft red uniforms with crisp white aprons practically carried her into the big round steaming bathtub.

The water was hot, but not scalding, and the soaps and oils they used to scrub the grime of travel from her skin smelled heavenly. Terra tried to dispatch the maids so she could wash herself, but only managed to scrub herself with a cloth while a couple of happy maids rubbed at her scalp and admired her unique hair color. The remaining maids busied themselves with cleaning and mending Terra's clothes with quick efficiency.

"Goodness, is this shade popular down on the Southern Continent these days?" one maid asked, working the soap into her curls with a vengeance.

"Such a lovely color, and it really brings out your eyes, Lady Terra!" With that they dumped a bucket of warm water over her head to rinse the soap out of her hair. Terra sputtered water out of her nose and tried to smile appreciatively as the maids helped her stand and wrap big towels around her body and head.

"Thank you very much," Terra was unsure of what else she should say to them. She wanted to get dressed and be left with her thoughts for a while, but the maids weren't having it apparently.

Before the maids set to work on drying her hair and brushing out the snarls, a smooth yet firm voice called out, "Good gracious girls, leave the poor gal alone! I think she can brush her own hair."

Terra peered around the bedroom as she stepped out of the bathroom and saw an older woman dressed in a fine red dress, like the maids, but with lace around her collar and cuffs making her way calmly to one of the cushioned chairs by the fireplace. The maids halted at once upon hearing the new woman's voice and bowed their heads as if they were children being scolded.

"It's not like she's preparing for a royal supper or anything like that, so stop acting as if she were," the woman sank into her chair gracefully as she spoke. Her tone was not at all harsh, and she smiled at Terra when she met eyes with her.

The maids bowed again at this and gathered up their washing things to leave.

"Sorry Madam, "one maid explained, "King Edgar asked us to see to Lady Terra. He wanted us to prepare her properly like a queen."

"Yes, he was very specific about that," another piped in with a small smile.

The woman rubbed at her temples and shook her head. "Gods, it sounds as if he's going to try to wine and dine her later."

"Perhaps he only wanted to show the hospitality of Figaro since she's here with Mister Cole?"

"No matter, I'll attend to Lady Terra for now, girls. Go on about your other duties, please." she waved them off and turned to Terra who was rubbing one of the thick towels through her hair by the bed where her clothes were laid out.

"I'm sorry, but who are you, ma'am?" Terra asked, hoping she wouldn't come off as rude.

"No need to be sorry, dear. Call me Matron. It's what I am, after all." As she saw Terra's curious look, Matron continued, "I take care of the king and the more domestic side of his castle since he doesn't have his mother around to do it anymore. I've been around since the time of the boys' father coming of age for the throne."

"Wait, 'boys?' Does that mean that Edgar has a brother?" Terra pulled on her underclothes, freshly cleaned, and her dress behind the dressing screen. Her head poked out at the side, looking to Matron for an answer.

Matron sat a large basket on her lap and dug through it, "Why yes, haven't you heard from Mister Cole about it yet?"

Terra shook her head before she went back behind the screen to pull on her mended stockings and boots.

"That's surprising. Mister Cole loves to jabber on like a parrot. But yes, the king does have a younger twin. His name's Sabin." Matron brought out some new underclothes and stockings from the depths of the basket for Terra to look over.

Terra came out and sat in the chair opposite Matron, taking in the older woman's laugh lines, her tightly pulled back gray hair, and kind eyes so she wouldn't forget a detail later on.

"Here, the king asked me to bring you some new clothes for your travels. He suspected that with recent events, you may not have many sets of clothes in that pack of yours." She showed Terra each item and let her choose whichever she liked best to take with her. Terra chose three sets of white stockings, five sets of underclothes, a light pink cloak, and once this was finished, Matron pulled out a measuring tape and asked Terra to stand while she measured Terra's body for a new dress.

"Would you like a dress in a similar style to the one you're wearing now?" Matron asked as she scribbled down the numbers on a scrap of paper.

"Yes, please. Thank you for all of this; you're all being so kind to me." Terra moved herself sideways for Matron to measure her sides from under her armpit down to her knees.

"It's no problem at all, dear. I enjoy having a young lady to look after." Terra looked about the room as Matron worked, noticing the finely carved furniture, the little knick-knacks lining the shelf above the fireplace, and the intricate patterns woven into the rugs on the floor.

"So, what happened to Sabin? Is he here in the castle, too?" Terra asked once Matron was finished.

Matron shook her head, "No, sadly. The boy left the castle about ten years ago after their father died. Couldn't stand the way everybody was acting at the king's deathbed. We haven't seen him since."

"I hope he's alright, where ever he is," Terra said, to which Matron agreed heartily.

* * *

"Figaro doesn't mess around when they get wind of allies in their kingdom, do they?"

"Nope, though I don't blame them, what with all that's been happening as of late."

"It's a bit strange though, compared to Maranda and all."

"You shouldn't compare the kingdom of Figaro to a little hole in the wall with a couple of nobles running everything. Completely different attitudes."

Three suits of special Magitek armor made their way to Figaro castle after having received a letter from the king. They were moving quickly over the desert sands and could see a faint dark blob on the horizon line that transformed into the tall stone walls that surrounded Figaro castle as the small group got closer.

"Would you two shut your noise holes back there, or should I do it for you?" their superior officer up ahead snapped.

Instead of replying, the two Imperial soldiers clammed up and exchanged glances from their cockpits. They knew better than to reply, even with a "yes sir!," with General Kefka in the mood he was in that day.

The soldiers kept working the buttons and levers of their suits as they walked along through the desert. Warm air was pushed back out with a new ventilation system designed recently to keep the suits cool. Not only did this system keep the armor from overheating, which was a big problem when they were first designed and tested in hotter climates, but it helped the soldiers within focus more comfortably and keep from dying of heatstroke.

"Look alert, men. We're approaching the castle gates," Kefka shouted after a few minutes of quiet travel, causing both of his men to jump at his sudden announcement.

"Yes sir!" they replied in unison.

Men in dark green uniforms on chocoback could be seen patrolling the gates, and soon the high flying Figaroan flags were visible.

"Excuse me!" called one of the Figaroan guard as he trotted up to General Kefka.

"Sir Kefka, what on earth are you doing here already? We haven't received a reply letter from you, as far as I know, and-"

"I'm here now, aren't I? It is of the utmost importance that I have the attentions of your king. Let King Edgar know that I need an audience with him immediately." Kefka nearly ran over the guard as he hurried past in his armor before bringing it to an abrupt stop and hopped out of the cockpit with a flutter of his light red cape.

His two Imperial soldiers stopped their armors in line with their general's, and climbed out to await further orders. Their Magitek suits were not far from the castle gates, and upon King Edgar's request months before, they could not leave their armor in the chocobo stables any longer. Apparently the weapons put the large birds on edge.

The guard Kefka almost plowed over dismounted from his chocobo and scrambled into the castle to announce their arrival.

Four more of the Figaroan guard came up and greeted the Imperials, as custom commanded, but one lingered. He caught Kefka's eye and nodded once before retreating to his assigned post.

General Kefka gave no sign of acknowledgment, and instead surveyed his men for a moment with a critical eye.

"Adjust your coats and shirts, men. You don't want to dishonor the Emperor by looking like mere wretches in the streets of Zozo, do you?" Kefka checked his own dark gray uniform as he spoke, straightening his gold buttons and pins on his high collar.

A Figaroan guardsman emerged from the front entrance of the castle, "Pardon me, Sir Kefka, please follow me. His grace will see you once we notify him of your arrival."

* * *

The castle courtyard was a tizzy of activity, as was usual around midday, what with the merchants shouting, somewhat aggressively at passersby to take a look at their wares, the children running around chasing each other or clinging to their mother's skirts, and the general noise of footsteps on stone. The whole affair was intensely exciting to witness, Terra found, as she and Locke wandered around the rows of merchant stalls at a leisurely pace.

As they were passing one particular merchant stall, which had many different types of jewelry and oddments of fabric, the owner jumped up from his stool and shouted, "HEY! YOU!" The man pointed at Locke's head, causing the pair to stop, looking bewilderedly back and forth between each other and the merchant.

Locke quirked his eyebrows up, "You talking to me?" Other people in the area stopped and turned in their direction at the sudden outburst.

"Yeah! You owe me a few hundred gil, ya thief!" The man's mustache nearly obscured his mouth, but only accentuated his frown all the more. He wiped at the sweat at his temple with his other hand, eyes livid.

"'Scuse me, sir, but you have to have me confused with somebody else..." And before Locke could finish his sentence, the merchant shouted that he definitely remembered the vagrant who swiped three necklaces, a golden pocket watch, several earrings, and some rings the month before.

"You've got the same stupid bandanas tied around your head and the same dusty patched up jacket! I know it's you!" The merchant was nearly hopping up and down as he shouted at Locke. Terra backed up a pace, nearly bumping into a blonde woman with two children who had stopped to watch the show.

She heard Locke reply with an edge in his voice about how he wasn't a bloody thief, but the rest was lost on her as she saw a sudden break in the crowd and a Figaroan guardsman sprinting towards the main doors leading into the castle.

Locke grabbed Terra's hand and brought her back into the conversation, "Isn't that right, huh? I was with you last month! I wasn't even here to steal anything!" even though she was still watching the guard as he disappeared into the doors. Locke followed her line of sight and then whipped his head back in the other direction towards where the guard had come from.

"Fuck." He muttered, ignoring the merchant's boisterous claims, and dug a hand into his jeans pocket.

He withdrew a leather purse and threw it at the merchant's face before pulling Terra along after him into the crowd.

"You've got a knife or two on ya, right, Ter?" Locke asked loud enough to be heard over the clamor that soon came over the crowds in the marketplace.

"Yes," came her reply as Locke slid a hidden dagger from the cuff of his glove into his palm just in case.

Locke led Terra so quickly through the market that she could only see glimpses of what they were running from. People's faces and chocobo beaks got in the way of the very familiar gray uniform making its way through the middle of the courtyard. Two brown uniformed men followed in his wake with matching helmets that grazed the tops of their eyes.

Terra's heart flopped around in her chest painfully.

Then they were in a small alcove with cold stone walls and the din of the marketplace on the other side of the door.

* * *

Edgar sat with his legs crossed in his throne waiting for his guests to be announced. Usually, when he would send a note to General Kefka or Leo, or even to the Emperor himself, he would receive a reply with an estimated time of arrival, as was one of the agreed upon conditions of the alliance between Figaro and the Empire. Meetings should be announced to both sides to avoid trouble. Despite what was known about Kefka's behavior, he was always careful about keeping to rules. This sudden change was unsettling.

The large doors opened, "King Edgar, General Kefka and two of his soldiers request an audience with you." His guard bowed a bit and before Edgar could even so much as respond to the request, in came Kefka.

Edgar's guard was pushed to the side in the process, and shouted, "Sir, you cannot just enter the throne room without permission!" as he staggered into the side of the door.

"It must be extremely important if the good general cannot wait," Edgar gestured for his guards to come into the throne room as well.

Kefka and his soldiers continued in as if they did not hear anything at all and came to a stop a few paces from the steps leading to the thrones. Kefka did not drop to one knee as was custom, nor did his men.

"King Edgar, we need to speak about something very important." Kefka looked at Edgar right in the eyes as he spoke.

"Why yes, we do. Starting with the matter of why you have come into my kingdom without announcing yourselves first, or even asking permission. We have an alliance."

Kefka sneered at this, "We have our reasons."

"I'm sure you do. And I would be delighted to hear them!" Edgar smiled his Figaro smile and rested his chin in his hand, waiting.

"Before I explain, may I ask if anybody in your castle has seen a girl who escaped from us recently?" Kefka's face dropped its sneer and became serious.

"Oh, a girl, you say?" Edgar rose and rubbed his chin in thought. "There are so many girls here that it would be easier to go count all of the grains of sand in the desert! Perhaps you could describe this girl to me over a cup of tea? You and your men must have had a long journey and you must be parched! How about we retire to one of my tearooms while your men join mine in the dining room for refreshments?"

"Fine," came Kefka's response. Edgar walked up to one of his guards and asked him to show Kefka's soldiers to the dining room.

"Now, if you will be so kind as to follow me, General?" Edgar looked at Kefka as he said this and proceeded to lead him out of the throne room by way of a curtained doorway.

The passage led to a cozy little tea room with a small fireplace which was not currently lit, and several squashy armchairs in shades of red and green.

Edgar pulled a rope in the corner of the room for a servant and invited Kefka to sit wherever he liked. But Kefka did not sit down just yet. He stood erect with his arms folded across his chest, his gray eyes flitting from the little brass candle holders fitted into the stonewalls to the doilies resting on the polished coffee table standing between the armchairs.

The same elderly servant who served the king and his guests breakfast earlier in the day entered the room with a deep bow, but not without a quick glance at the general.

"My liege," the butler said, awaiting orders.

"General Kefka and I would like the tea tray to be brought," Edgar sank into one of the green armchairs as he spoke.

"Yes, your grace," the butler turned to General Kefka and asked if he had any special requests.

"No, thank you." Kefka replied stiffly, not even looking at the butler.

Once the servant bowed again and left the tearoom, Kefka spoke before Edgar could implore him to take a seat as well.

"Did any of your little spies or guards see the girl or not?" Kefka's eyes bored into Edgar's, making it very hard for the king to look away.

"I could do with a description of this girl, General." Edgar replied cooly.

This seemed to make Kefka stand even more rigid. "She would stand out quite a bit. Trust me on that."

"I wonder what that means! Is the girl taller than I? Does she have big yellow fangs jutting out of her mouth?" Edgar let out a bit of a laugh before leaning towards Kefka and smiling his Figaro smile again.

"Or is she the Imperial Witch who I've heard so very much about? You know the rumors, I'm sure. Where she apparently torched fifty of her own fellow soldiers within a few moments with real magic. Not just that Magitek you all have been using."

* * *

Locke and Terra moved as quietly as they could through the small tunnel and soon the sounds from the marketplace were faded completely. Locke seemed to know his way around the tunnels well, and yet Terra's heart thudded hard in her chest, making her feel queasy. Ever since she saw that specific uniform, she felt cold. She tried to remember anything at all as to why, but her mind drew up empty.

The tunnel was dark and very quiet as they went along, and as they passed around a bend to the left, Terra heard something nearby. She stopped, causing Locke's hand to jerk as he tried stepping forwards.

"What's up?" he whispered back.

"Did you hear that?" she replied, listening hard. She felt Locke crouch closer to her, listening.

_"...Witch...here..."_

"There!" Terra hissed at Locke, squeezing his hand harder.

"Yeah, I heard it that time," Locke replied as if distracted. Terra could see the darker shape of his head crane around.

"We must be near one of the guards' dining rooms or something. Knowing Ed, he's probably got his guards having drinks with Kefka's men."

Locke made to continue moving along the tunnel, tugging Terra gently along with him, "Wouldn't King Edgar want to watch all of Kefka's group?"

"Well he is. Edgar's guards all answer directly to him. He has them all watching each other too to hold them all accountable," Locke led her around another bend in the tunnel to the right, taking light steps like a cat. "And sure, there can be problems every now and then. Whenever Edgar gets new guardsmen in from South Figaro, he has to break them in and all that. But he hasn't had trouble with his guards lying or anything bad like that in about ten years when he first took the throne. Then again, back then, there were other problems going on anyways."

Before Locke could continue explaining, they heard another noise, this time, louder. Glasses clanked against each other somewhere nearby, and a few men cheered a toast in unison.

Locke paused, "Ah! Here we go," he let go of Terra's hand and from what she could make out in the darkness, he began brushing his hands over the cold stone walls, feeling for something.

"Locke? Where are we?" Terra watched his general form while she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her side against the wall.

"If I can find the switch hidden around here somewhere, then we can listen in on what's going on with the Imperials and Ed's guards," he whispered, still running his hands from short ceiling to the ground below, searching for the small switch about as small and thin as a candle wick.

But Terra's attentions went from watching Locke to another sound off in the distance behind them.

"Got it!" Locke exclaimed in a whisper. His ring finger pushed back the switch and allowed one of the stones in the wall to pull up about an inch on their side of the wall. More sounds rushed out of the crack to greet them. Terra ignored the impulse to go investigate the odd sound in the distance and came to crouch next to Locke.

"'S good ale you've got here!" a deep voice sighed.

"Thank you kindly. Your Vectorian ale is impeccable, though!" another voice answered.

"So how're the girls around these parts? I hear the king keeps a whole coop full of the sweetest birds!"

"Oh, there are plenty of lovely girls around here. So many to choose from."

"The king danced with over thirty young ladies at the last ball. Such a lucky man," a new voice chuckled.

A chair scratched along the floor, as if being pushed back from a table, "I'll be back in a jiffy. Need to find a washroom." One of the men called out directions from his seat, to which the other man grunted in acknowledgment as his footsteps retreated from the room.

"At least the Imperials aren't acting like the usually do..." Locke muttered.

"Terra? We need to go ahead and find a hiding spot until the Imperials leave," Locke said softly with his ear still at the opening in the wall. When he didn't hear her usual soft reply, he jerked his head away from the spot.

"Terra?"

* * *

Terra slipped away quietly down to the end of the dim passage while Locke was still listening to the chatter coming from the hole in the wall. She heard odd sounds that were not Locke's muttered comments to himself about the Imperials being arrogant normally, and decided to investigate, listening hard for more of those strange sounds. Her curiosity pushed her unease and better judgment to the wayside, and she figured that after a little while, she could go back to Locke without any trouble. She felt her way along the stones, and out of nowhere her hand bumped into a cold, smooth, rounded object jutting out of the wall.

"What's this?" she whispered to herself, running her hand down along with it to where it disappeared into the stone floor. She realized that it must be one of those odd steel pipes she had seen around the castle when she and Locke were wandering around after her bath.

She crept along slowly, and the further she went, she started hearing metal grinding on metal coming from the walls all around her. The noises got louder and louder and she was so absorbed in feeling her way along and listening that she bumped face first into another wall.

"Ow..." she rubbed at her nose, which got the worst of it, "wait, this feels different." Terra ran her hands over the new wall in front of her, and felt that it wasn't stone at all, but some sort of metal with what had to be a door handle. She tugged at it and the heavy thing opened slowly with a low squeak that she hoped nobody could hear over the mechanical grinding and groaning coming from the walls. Terra peered in through the small opening, being careful to avoid somebody catching her, and saw metal bars, buckets full with foul smelling contents, and men. There was a Figaroan guard seated at a desk across the large room by a set of high stairs writing in a thin book.

"UGH. When's lunch?!" a bearded man in a ragged shirt and pants shouted at the guard. A few of the other men behind the iron bars going from the ceiling into the floor started agreeing and asking the question over and over with a swear or two thrown in.

"And maybe we could use a bath, you bastard!" another man called, kicking his feet at the bars. This man had on clothes which reminded Terra of what she had seen people in Narshe wearing: the dark blue shirt with a high collar, leather gloves with cuffs that went all the way to his elbows, coarse brown trousers, and high boots with fur lining the tops. In a pile in the front corner of his cell was a heavy ashy gray fur coat, matching cloak, and what looked like an enormous wolf's head.

"Yeah! Lone Wolf has a point! I thought I was just smelling the shit pots, but the gross smell in my cell is me! Eugh!" the scrub in the cell next to Lone Wolf added to the guard. He raised an arm and sniffed at his armpit with a scrunched up face, and plopped down onto the stone floor with some grumbles to himself.

"Alright, alright!" The guard answered finally after closing his book and setting down his pen. He stood and walked through the walkway in between the two rows of prison cells along the walls, eyeing each of the inmates.

"It is lunch time, so I'll go grab your food. And I'll ask the maids to set up some wash basins for you and have them haul off those chamber pots." With that, the guard walked away and up the staircase, and Terra heard the sound of a door closing heavily.

Terra watched the prisoners for a few moments longer, debating with herself whether or not she should retrace her steps back to Locke. There was a chance that she'd get lost though, what with the different passages leading off in different directions. She was starting to see why Locke liked exploring so much because of all of the interesting things to be found.

"Maybe it'll be easier to go out the way the guard left. At least that way I can see where I'm going," she gulped hard, and opened the big door some more with a loud creak that echoed off the walls and made nearly all of the prisoners jump. She knew that Locke wanted to keep her hidden from the Imperials, but that wouldn't do much good if she was hidden and lost and couldn't find him again.

As she slipped out, careful not to let her bag get caught, she was met with a chorus of "What the hell?!" from the prisoners.

"Where'd you come from?"

"Hey, help us get out of here, beautiful! C'mon!"

Some of the prisoners were reaching towards Terra in between the bars of their cells, waving their arms around and yelling for her to help them out as she scurried past, hoping that none of them would grab hold of her ponytail. She hurried up the stairs and ran out of the door, and ended up in one of the corridors of the castle lined with the suits of armor and paintings hanging on the walls.

Terra jogged as quietly as she could down the corridor before anybody came along to see her.

* * *

By a brightly painted scene of a famous opera out of Jidoor, which was a gift for the late queen from what Locke could remember, was a Figaroan guardsman, seemingly on watch in the corridor, despite there not being any other guards present.

The guards usually operated on a sort of buddy-system unless one of the captains was accompanying the king or Chancellor or some other important person around.

But this guard was not a captain, or even one of the section leaders who managed guards in their assigned portion of the castle. He only had the standard crimson and green uniform without all of the golden shiny embellishments which showed rank and accomplishments.

Locke peered out from behind the heavy tapestry, careful not to move it too much so he wouldn't catch the eye of the guard who was loitering, not even bothering to look alert. He saw that the man was the same guard who stopped him and Terra that morning, acting as if they were beggars from the streets.

"They really gotta keep on training this guy...looks like he's nearly leaning against that painting!" Locke thought, shaking his head in a tutting manner.

Locke slipped his head back behind the tapestry when he saw one of the Imperials turn down the corridor heading their way. Thankfully it wasn't Kefka.

Instead of hearing the heavy footsteps pass on by after a few moments like Locke expected, they stopped. Locke wondered if the Imperial was about to pick a fight.

"Is she here?" came a whisper.

"Yes, I saw her this morning. A scrub with brown hair and bandanas tied around his head brought her. She had a scarf on her head to hide her hair, but it was definitely her," was the response.

Locke leaned closer from his spot, straining to hear better.

"Any ideas about where the King's hiding her?" the Imperial spoke lower, most likely covering his mouth with a hand.

"Probably in the engine rooms below; take the stairs down across from the dungeon. The King's really touchy about who goes down there, so there's probably a nook or cranny he stuffed the Witch in."

Locke chanced leaning a bit closer to the edge of the tapestry to see the pair, and caught a shared nod before the Imperial strode away down the corridor, his steps echoing louder this time. The guard waited by the painting until the Imperial turned the corner before going off in the opposite direction.

After slipping out from his hiding place, Locke took off in the direction the Imperial went, trying to keep his steps as quiet as he could, "Shit! Gotta find Ter fast!"

* * *

Small little oil lamps flickered their light from their dome shaped fixtures in the stone walls as the Imperial moved as quietly as he could through the first engine room he found while he had been searching the castle for the correct entrance. Moving silently was nearly impossible due to the steel plates bolted down to the floor, but the general hum of the chugging machines hid his footsteps for the most part.

The Imperial had made it past the first landing where huge stone columns were fit into the walls and odd looking gages pointed their thin arms at numbers in the little glass spheres. As soon as he crept down the circular steel staircase, he was overcome with the smell of motor oil and fuel. If he could make his way down to the lower floors of the engine rooms, perhaps he could find the girl.

"Well, well, well. What is an Imperial soldier doing all the way down here in the engine rooms, hm?" A gruff looking engineer moved into the lantern light with his eyebrows high and an amused smile on his face.

The soldier immediately started backing away slowly, his left hand went to his belt, his eyes on the engineer.

"What business is it of yours?" the Imperial retorted, the back of his tall brown booted foot coming into contact with the side of one of the many enormous machines moaning and vibrating low as if it were a slumbering beast having a fitful dream. He stopped, knowing that he was cornered and worst of all: caught.

"I'd say it's my business through and through, seeing as how I'm one of the King's top engineers." The man did not say this with a puffed up chest, no, he said it with his eyes glinting dangerously. "And nobody is allowed down here without the King's permission."

The engineer slid his arm out towards the wall nearest him and pressed a concealed button before the Imperial could say anything back, and within seconds an alarm bell started rattling off so loud it could be heard all over the castle.

Then the soldier drew out a handgun and pulled the trigger right as thundering footsteps could be heard coming towards the engine room along with the alarm bells. The engineer's face exploded, and what was left of his body fell heavily backwards onto the metal flooring.

"CARTRIGHT!" The Figaroan guardsmen reached the Imperial soldier a moment after the engineer's blood started pooling around where his neck should have been.

Aim, fire. Aim, fire. The Imperial went into a sort of haze as he mechanically aimed and fired his gun at two of the guardsmen. He caught one in the neck, causing his windpipe to be partially exposed as the side of his jaw and ear slopped against the wall, and the other guard caught a bullet in the left part of his chest. But the Imperial soldier could not see what happened next after he fired another round of bullets since the rest of the Figaroan guardsmen just outright tackled him to the floor.

One guard wrenched the gun from his hand, cocked it, and pushed the opening right up to the side of his temple.

"You try anything else, and I blow your fucking head off. Got it?"

The Imperial nodded quick and went as limp as he could while the guards who were not bending over the dead mens' remains grabbed onto him at different parts of his body and heaved him up. They dragged him up the staircase quickly, but they were not too careful with him because as they went along, the back of the Imperial's head banged against the handrail several times. White sparks fluttered behind his eyelids.

He did not see a new group of Figaroan guards rush downstairs to tend to the dead men. He did not see more of the first landing where switches and control panels were opened up to shut off the alarm bells. The Imperial soldier also did not feel the kicks and punches he received once the guards dropped him face first on the floor once they entered the gatehouse.

* * *

Edgar sipped at his tea lightly while he watched the good general watching him.

"I've heard that you're docked to the south near the caves leading to South Figaro," Edgar did not see any hint of a reaction from Kefka at this.

"Have you or any of your men gone there yet to visit? The inns are serving goose and duck now that they're in season. Very delicious, I hear," he continued, smiling as he swirled his tea around in the cup, careful not to slosh it over the side.

Kefka kept his face neutral as he reached for a couple of cookies from the tea tray. "No, we haven't gone there. Yet. Besides, those of us on the Southern continent prefer our own game, with all respect."

Edgar let out a kindly laugh, "Oh, isn't that the way of all lands? We each prefer what reminds us of home!"

Kefka did not laugh, or smile, or even politely grimace at Edgar's declaration. Instead, he put his cup and saucer down on the tray and briskly stood. Edgar's face remained calm, eyes directly on the general.

"You did not answer my question earlier, King Edgar."

"What do you mean? I believe I did-"

At this, Kefka rushed at Edgar, moving so quickly that Edgar's eyes delayed registering the general standing from his seat until Kefka was mere inches away from him. Kefka leaned down and brought his face in close to Edgar's, looking him straight in the eye as he grasped the arms of Edgar's chair, giving him no escape.

"Is she here?" Kefka's voice was barely a whisper, his eyes glowering with a desperation Edgar had never seen from the general. His warm breath tickled Edgar's nose.

"No," Edgar replied, "Your little Witch Girl is not here. It's a shame you lost her, too. A wonder, that is, losing a girl under the control of a slave crown. Such a shame."

With a jerk, Kefka's left hand thrust through the air, the hand about to make contact with Edgar's jaw, when the king flinched. Or seemed to flinch.

In the next instant, Kefka did not feel skin or jaw bone. His wrist was caught in Edgar's fist.

Edgar raised an eyebrow in that Figaro way of his, "Upset? A little too close to home?" his grip tightened. "I believe you must declare a formal duel, at least, before attacking one of aristocracy or royalty. We are both gentlemen after all. Wouldn't want to embarrass Emperor Gestahl."

Kefka grimaced and spat in Edgar's face, causing the king to grunt in disgust. "Well that was rude."

They both jumped when the alarm went off with a piercing ring.

Then the door burst open with a bang as a gaggle of Edgar's guardsmen flooded into the tea room, all with wild eyes and heaving chests.

"King Edgar! The engine room!" his guard captain nearly screamed, voice high, before the scene in front of them registered.

Edgar, still holding onto Kefka's arm, craned his head around to see his men, "What happened?"

The guards were flummoxed. They all spoke at once, asking what in the world was going on between the two, seeming to forget all about the engine room for the moment.

Kefka jerked his arm out of Edgar's grasp and backed away from the king a few paces, looking from Edgar to the men with a guarded expression. Three of Edgar's guards rushed forwards to pull Kefka away.

"What happened?" Edgar repeated as he stood. The alarm snapped off. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and quickly wiped Kefka's spit from his nose.

The Chancellor took Edgar's shoulder, pulling him along out of the room, leaving the remaining guardsmen to restrain Kefka's hands behind his back with iron manacles.

"Cartright, sire! One of Kefka's men shot him and a couple more," to this Edgar's face drained of color and he took off running to the engine rooms.

"Chancellor! Have the guards bring the Imperials to the courtyard! Round up everybody you can find!" Edgar called over his shoulder.

Soon the king sprinted out of the main wing of his castle and took a flight of stairs tucked in an out of the way corner near the old maid's chambers. This brought him down to one of his entrances into the lower workshops where he found several of his mechanics trying to bind up the gaping wounds on a fellow's arm with industrial tape they usually used to temporarily close up cracks in the fuel pipes.

"Who's hurt?" he shouted over the loud cranking of machinery. A mechanic bolted up from his knees where he was helping tend to the moaning man's injuries.

"My liege! Three of our men are dead, two were wounded in the process of trying to shield the new boiler you installed from the bullets!"

Edgar hurried over the man laid out on the floor, seeing that his left arm and shoulder got the worst of the shot where chunks of flesh were missing.

"None of our machines were hit during the fight, sire. Luckily," the man continued.

"Alright. Where are the dead men, Al?" The king asked, still watching his men finish up binding the lacerations tight and secure. The chugging of the huge engines seemed to grow louder and louder in volume, causing Edgar's words to be barely audible. But Al heard him and motioned in the direction of the offices where the walls were reinforced with sound deafening metals and wood. The bodies were in Cartright's office.

Edgar went inside and found the three dead men laid out on the floor side by side, two sets of eyes closed. A few piles of Cartright's books and spare work boots had been moved to the edge of the room by the engineer's desk where diagrams for the new heating systems lay splayed out by a mug of coffee gone cold.

Cartright, Neill, Lester. Cartright's head was blown off completely and all that remained were crooked bits of flesh and windpipe poking out between his clavicles. Lester was missing most of his neck and jaw. Neill had a bullet hole going right through where his heart was.

Al followed him in, averting his eyes away from the bodies to his king. Before he could address Edgar, the king said, "Make sure to prepare these men for their burials after we finish with our special guests. Notify their families as soon as you can."

Edgar turned and swept out of the room to stop by his own office. He grabbed his modified crossbow up from his midnight blue colored armchair, slipped some spare bolts and screws into his pants pocket, and stuffed his worn journal into his other pocket the best he could along with a few pencils. He glanced around his large room that he's practically lived in for years for anything else. He noticed his half-built new invention on the bookshelf and decided against trying to stuff that on his person somewhere. He did, however, grab up a handful of bowstrings and a screwdriver. With another quick look, he left and went up to another engineer.

"Prepare a new tank of fuel for the back engine." The engineer nodded and hurried away past where the injured were still being tended.

Edgar cleared his throat and boomed, "You've all done well! Stay at the ready and remember your duties to the castle!" He punched his fist into the air, and with that, he ran up the stairs to the main landing and pushed out to the courtyard where what looked like the majority of his guard waited at attention.

At the center of the yard, where the richest merchant's stalls usually set up in the morning markets, was Kefka and his two men restrained and on their knees, with guns and crossbows aimed at them by Edgar's captains, awaiting orders. One of the Imperials looked half-conscious, head lolling to one side all bruised up with blood dribbling out of his mouth. Edgar gripped the handle of his crossbow tight.

The king approached, fighting to keep himself as composed as he could. His guards watched and moved out of the way as he made his way over to the beaten-up Imperial. "Looks like you're the one who somehow found his way into my engine rooms. How did that happen?"

Both Kefka and his other man looked at their comrade while he struggled to move his jaw, which was sitting at an odd angle, looking back at his general with desperation in his eyes. Kefka did not say anything.

"Tell me why," Edgar knelt on one knee in front of the Imperial, looking him straight in the eyes, "Now." He held up his crossbow to the man's face, causing him to shudder out more blood from his mouth.

"Who told you how to get down there? It's not somewhere you accidentally end up on the way to the lavatory." Edgar pulled back the trigger with his thumb with a loud pop.

"It was Sam! Your new guard!" The other Imperial shouted at them.

Then, the guardsmen behind Edgar started yelling and shoving amongst themselves, and when one particular guard tried heaving his way backwards through the crowd, the other men around him pushed him back, blocking his escape. A captain broke away from his place in front of the prisoners and yanked the guard's arm with him, earning a punch to the back of his head along with some slapping. But that did not deter the captain who continued forwards to his king and thrust the man to the ground roughly and kicked his back with a heavy booted foot.

Edgar stood and turned slowly, his crossbow still cocked, "Ah, so you're our little spy. Six months of waiting for your friends to arrive…"

"This pathetic little kingdom is nothing against the Empire! Just another fly to swat down like Maranda!" The spy spat, to which he received a painful jab in the ribs with the butt of the captain's gun.

"It seems that my little kingdom is more than a mere fly if you had to place a man on the inside," the king turned back to face Kefka, "Seems as if you were going to pay us a visit whether recent events occurred or not."

"Is the Witch here?" Kefka's other man shouted. The Chancellor came up to Edgar's left and shook his head at him.

* * *

Terra ran through a set of doors she remembered led out to the courtyard panting, looking for her bandanaed friend. But just a few steps out, she stumbled into one of the Figaroan guardsmen, who yelped in surprise.

Apparently, everybody nearby heard their collision, and it took Terra a moment to register that nearly all the others in the courtyard were also guards. Who were all looking right at her.

"TERRA!" came Locke's voice as he bounded out of the set of doors opposite her. Right as she saw him, he outright tackled her into a bear hug.

"Been looking all over for you!" Locked gasped into her hair as he squeezed her against him tight. "C'mon, we gotta…" he trailed off. The thief finally looked away from his mint haired friend long enough to also notice that Edgar's entire legion was clustered into the courtyard around them.

And through a break in the crowd was Edgar and Kefka.

Terra pushed herself into Locke's arms and tried to hide herself as much as she could when her green eyes met a familiar set of cold gray ones.

"_Terra…my sweet little magic user…"_ the shivering voice echoed in her mind.

Kefka's eyes widened. She could not blink away from his gaze as a sudden bolt of lightning erupted out of Kefka's body and blasted into the top of one of the rooftops with metal rotating fans. The fan spun out and fell into the crowd with an air slicing shriek. More lightning struck into the crowd at random, hitting men and stone alike, leaving scorch marks everywhere.

Kefka jerked up from the ground and blasted the irons around his wrists off with a flash, never looking away from Terra when the thief wrapped himself around her more to shield her from the strikes.

"Kefka! Stop this at once!" Edgar shouted, aiming his bow at the general's head. The guards who were not still trying to restrain the other Imperials aimed their weapons at Kefka too.

"Give me the girl! She's mine!" Kefka shrieked, causing more lightning to boom down and now balls of fire started to bubble out from his clenched fists. The fire whizzed around in red streaks, catching clothing and stone alike.

Edgar let loose a round of his arrows at Kefka, only to have them deflected by a flash of flame that swept along with the general's arm to block his face. The king tried more rounds of arrows as his guards tried the same, but their attacks were blocked by more waves. The flames swelled out from Kefka, catching those closest to him. The other Imperials rushed out of the way and into the maddening crowd.

Streaks of fire rained down along with the lightning and crackled to life on every surface they touched and spread wildly.

A hand dragged Edgar away from Kefka right before his spell smashed into him and through the retreating chaos, "Run Ed!" Locke shouted over the ruckus of people crying out and running from the spells scorching everything in their path as Kefka screamed for Terra.

"Let me find the Chancellor first!" Edgar replied and pulled Locke and Terra with him, looking for the gold embellished crimson helmet in the sea of plain green helmets and rising flames. The trio ended up near the far west edge of the courtyard where a short stone wall rose from the cobblestones. More lightning rained down from the sky with thunderous booms all around them haphazard.

Locke and Terra pressed themselves into a corner along the wall where it met with another wall which was part of a wing leading into the castle. The Chancellor scrambled over, sweating bullets and grasping a blackened smoking hole in his uniform.

"Sire! Run! I'll engage the dive!"

Edgar agreed and motioned Locke and Terra over to join him as the Chancellor disappeared into the crowd heading to the main hall. The king pulled out a section of the stone wall and punched the blue button hidden beneath. The wall broke open and a set of stairs ripped out the side of the castle leading down to the sand dunes below.

Locke grinned, "Brilliant, Mister Inventor!" and led the way down.

"Head to the stables!" Edgar replied, holding Terra's hand as he started to lead her down after Locke. A burst of fire and lightning crashed into the pair, throwing them off the side of the castle. Without thinking, Terra's magic surged out of her and surrounded her and Edgar, causing the spell to break around them. They fell into the sand along with huge fragments of stone splashing sand up around them.

Terra jumped up first, stumbling, "Are you okay, Edgar?"

"Yes, now run!" the king flung himself up, glancing at his crossbow to make sure it wasn't damaged, and started running towards where Locke had disappeared.

More bolts of lightning crashed around them, growing in intensity, blowing chunks of stone off the castle, making the pair dodge around the debris as they ran.

Kefka's screaming got louder, as if he was getting closer. Another raging ball of fire shot down at Terra and followed them in an arc as they weaved away, feet slipping in the sand.

Terra cried out, hands clenched at her chest as she let loose a fire spell that exploded back at Kefka's, causing both to crash into the ground with a shower of sparks.

Locke had reached the chocobo stables at the southern end of the castle first and was leading three of the enormous yellow birds with him as he slammed the doors shut.

The castle suddenly let out a deafening rumble from within, drowning out all the screaming and crashes from above.

Edgar mounted his bird, one hand still holding onto his crossbow while he adjusted the reins with his other. Locke and Terra followed suit and they didn't even have to steer their chocobos in the right direction because the birds were so scared they took off from the castle with their feathers ruffled squawking with fear.

Terra held tight to the reins as she looked back at Figaro castle, and gasped when she realized that the huge mass of gray stone was sinking into the sands. Windows were closing, flags retreating from their poles, and the rumbling grew louder as the castle seemed to shudder and plunged down faster.

She saw that the Magitek armor near the gates almost followed behind the castle into the sands, but were suddenly moving away quickly. The deeps rumblings of the castle receded behind them as sand dunes spilled into the gaping hole the structure left in its wake.

"Holy shit!" Locke yelled, looking back at the castle, "Those assholes escaped!"

Three sets of Magitek armor were chugging after them, their leg structures not even sliding on the sand dunes.

"Let's see if this will slow them down!" Edgar called back, pulling his chocobo over to the side of their group as they continued sprinting away through the dunes. He aimed his crossbow at the closest armor and fired a round of steel arrows at what he hoped was the head of one of the pilots. But a flash of lightning interrupted their flight and the Magitek armors plowed through the black smoke, unfazed.

Scenes flashed through Terra's mind of handbooks, symbols engraved into buttons on a control panel. "We've got to get away! They have missiles!" she cried at her companions.

"We're gonna try, Ter, don't you worry!" Locke flashed her a grin as he kicked his heels into his chocobo's sides. Terra mimicked him, and their birds jumped and ran faster, leaving clouds of sand flying up behind them.

A flash of lightning ricocheted off a dune at the right of Terra's chocobo, causing the bird to screech and flail away.

"Get her! Get her! Get her!" shrieked Kefka at his soldiers. One of the Imperials pulled back a lever and out of the front of his armor shot a tek laser at the group.

Terra screamed as she felt the rush of energy flying at them and released a green wave of light which spread out into a half sphere behind them, shielding them from the beam.

"You can't just scamper away from me, little Terra!" came Kefka's shrill voice. Terra's hands shook uncontrollably, heart hammering away. She knew he was getting closer and closer.

"You're my plaything and I hate losing my toys!" the general screamed, accenting his exclamation with more lightning spells following the group. The wounded Imperial launched a series of tek missiles at the racing chocobos, the first missile blasting one of the mens' birds with a boom.

Locke was thrown forwards from his seat on his chocobo and he landed head first into a large sand dune, rolling after his impact sideways. His steed was left smoking on the ground several yards back, "Uweeheehee! Look men! Supper is already roasted for us!" Kefka cackled.

Edgar steered his bird over to Locke, yelling for Terra to keep going as he clamored down to pull Locke up onto his chocobo behind him. The thief was knocked out, but Edgar continued trying to drag his friend with him. The Imperials were advancing on them fast. Terra stopped and hopped down from her chocobo.

"Terra! What are you doing?! Run!" Edgar shouted, but Terra ignored him as she raised up her hands, fingers spread. She inhaled the hot dry air of the desert around them, feeling the heat of the sun surge into her body, willing her hands to stop shaking long enough to BAM! Her magic knocked her backwards as a blaze of fire rushed out of her hands when she screamed "Fire!" at the top of her lungs.

The spell was trained at Kefka, whose machine took the brunt of the blast and exploded, flinging the general out of his cockpit high into the air. His men continued coming at Terra as her knees buckled out from under her and she fell to the ground, feeling drained completely after that last spell.

Edgar dropped Locke for the moment and fired his crossbow at the Imperials. He flicked his fingers at a button on the side near the main trigger to keep the arrows flying on their own, finally able to strike the soldiers. The steel arrows struck into the mens' faces, causing them to shout in pain. One tried ripping the shafts out of his neck, while the other finally slumped forwards onto his controls, dead. Due to the lack of button pushing and level controlling, the Magitek armors came to a stop after a few last stuttering steps.

The king snapped his crossbow off of its auto mode, and sat it on the ground next to Locke. He wiped at his brow with his sleeve and slapped Locke softly, trying to get the man to wake up. "Come on, get up, Locke."

The thief finally started to stir, coughing roughly. Edgar let out a sigh of relief before deciding that Locke should be fully conscious in a moment, so he went over to Terra. Her eyes were half open, watching the Magitek armors standing before them, her chest was heaving as she tried to catch her breath.

Edgar knelt by her side and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Do you think you can stand? I can get you a potion from Locke's bag." Terra struggled to try speaking, her breathing still labored as she tried to use her arm to prop herself up.

Locke finally sat up on his own, still coughing, and started rummaging through his pack, and pulled out a pair of small bottles filled with sparkling bright blue liquid. "Give her one of these, Ed." Locke uncorked one bottle and tossed it down his throat while he held out the other for Edgar.

"Gods, how the fuck did you two manage to stop these?" Locke gestured at the armors nearby, seeing that both pilots were dead, bleeding all over themselves.

Edgar helped Terra drink her potion, "Thanks to our little Miss here, is how." Terra sputtered at the sharp fizzing in her throat as the potion went down, and almost immediately felt like she was regaining her strength. She didn't add anything to what the king said and tried standing up on shaky legs. Edgar held her by the arm and shoulders to help her keep her balance.

"Where's that creep?" Locke stood up, scratching at his bandanas and hair roughly to shake the sand out. He went over to Terra and Edgar, "I guess my chocobo's out of commission too, if I remember right."

"Yup, and I'm not sure where Kefka fell after Terra blasted his Magitek armor." Edgar looked between his two companions to over at their remaining chocobos, who were pressed together, feathers all ruffled, hiding behind a massive sand dune, watching them.

Locke looked past the two armors nearest them to the smoking pile of metal, hoping to see the body of the Imperial general not far away, but saw nothing through the shifting sands. "Damn, well I guess we better get a move on just in case he's still around."

The thief went over to the chocobos and gently pulled one back with him and stopped in front of Terra, "C'mon, you're gonna ride with me!"


	5. Unsafe Safe

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**Unsafe Safe**

The sun was gradually drooping in the sky as Edgar, Locke, and Terra rode along on their chocobos through the Figaro desert heading southeast. The winds were picking up and rushed in between the sand dunes, blowing hot dry air and sand into their path and faces. Terra was glad that she could hide her face for the most part from the onslaught behind Locke.

Despite the potion she drank earlier, she still felt drained of energy in a way that made her mind drag its feet through the questions that buzzed around her mind. Questions of why the Empire was putting forth so much effort in chasing her from the forests outside Narshe to Figaro castle and possibly to where she was heading now with her new companions. It couldn't be merely because of her gift of magic because that man, Kefka, could use magic too, could it? She sighed, resigning herself from the endless questions and tried stuffing them away into a little chest in her head to be looked over when she didn't feel so sluggish.

Terra tightened her hold around Locke's waist and rested her forehead against the part of his back that wasn't covered by his bag hanging from his shoulders. She closed her eyes and listened to Locke and Edgar's conversation as they trotted atop the sands.

"I've got to send a few messages once we get to the closest village, Ed," said Locke over the sound of wind rushing past them.

"Yes, make sure to send word to Banon about what has happened," Edgar replied.

"There has to be more to the situation besides the Empire trying to get that frozen esper and losing a few soldiers in the process."

"Perhaps it has to do with its reaction to Terra…"

She felt Locke shift in his seat on the chocobo's back, and kept quiet in hopes that the men would think she was asleep.

Locke and Edgar's conversation turned to how things in South Figaro had been the last time Locke passed through the city. The newspapers had articles on the Empire's movements on the Southern continent, and how they had taken over a city called Maranda with their youngest general leading the invasion.

"It's been about two weeks since I was last there. They've probably heard about the raid of Narshe by now," Locke explained. "Word can travel fast when they rely on the coal trains making their weekly shipments."

"Or when the lack of shipments spur questions." Edgar's voice sounded tight as if he was clenching his teeth.

"Yeah, if the trains are still running, it may take at least two or three days for word to spread about Kefka's assault on the castle."

Edgar sighed, "With my Figaro underground, there will be no way for supplies to reach the city."

The men fell silent and they rode on in quiet for awhile. Terra opened her eyes finally to see that the sky had gotten much darker and massive thunderheads were rolling their way east. Other clouds were enveloped in the brewing storm and spread like ink knocked over by a clumsy hand. The sandy horizon which seemed to go on forever abruptly ended and in its place came what looked like brittle brown bushes and dry grasses peeking through the little valleys the sand dunes created.

Terra pulled her cheek away from Locke's jacket and peered over his shoulder, dodging the tails of his many bandanas flying out from their knots at the back of his head. They were quickly approaching a mountain range with sharp ragged peaks stretching into the skies.

"We're almost to the caves, Ter," Locke turned his head back so he could give her a grin. She felt a small smile come back at him. And he was right because within the next few minutes of travel, the group reached a scrubby dried out clearing before the mouth of a cave leading into the mountains.

"King Edgar!" A Figaroan guardsman sitting atop a chocobo was standing near the entrance of the cave and saluted in greeting as they approached.

"Hello Peters," Edgar replied as he nudged his chocobo into a stop in front of his guard and dismounted from his bird.

"What brings you here, Excellency? I did not receive notice that you were travelling today." The guard noticed Locke and Terra as they came up beside Edgar and before he could ask further questions, the king held up a hand.

"Kefka has attacked the castle." The guard gaped.

"It's safe though!" piped in Locke as he slid down from his chocobo's back and turned to help Terra hop down.

The king nodded, "Yes, it dove down below the desert before any serious damage could be done, thankfully. I'm going with Mister Cole to see Banon at the Returner's hideout."

The guard bowed his head, "Is there any way that I can assist you, my liege?"

Locke busied himself with securing both his and Terra's packs to their shoulders in turn while Edgar answered, "Well, I would appreciate it greatly if you could take our chocobos to our spare stables. Poor things took quite a scare at Kefka's firework show." He patted his bird gently on its huge beak, to which it chirped and nuzzled its head into his hand.

Edgar rubbed his chin in thought some before continuing, "Oh! Do you happen to have any provisions you could spare, Peters? I didn't have the chance to pack a bag. As you can see, I only have my pockets and crossbow!"

Peters jumped down from his saddle immediately, "Of course, my liege!" he unbuckled a leather satchel from the saddle and gave it to Edgar. Peters opened the main compartment and showed that it contained some food, skins of water, a few articles of clothing, and some medicines.

Edgar smiled, "I hope you have plenty for yourself."

"Oh yes! My saddlebags are stuffed full, sire! Please don't worry about me," the guard pulled a length of rope from one of his bags as he spoke and began to tie it to connect the two chocobo's reins to his own bird.

"Alright then, thank you Peters. We will be on our way now." The king shook his guard's hand, "Be sure to send word to our other men on patrol of what has happened and stay safe!"

The guard dropped to his knee and bowed deep before he mounted his bird, saluted, and rode off into the desert with the spare chocobos in tow.

Edgar pulled his bag onto his shoulders and turned to regard Locke and Terra.

"Well, we'd better get a move on then! Never know who may be nearby," said Locke as he led the way into the caves.

The caves leading to the lands where South Figaro lay and all the little villages where the farmers tended fields of grains, vegetables, and livestock were very dark. Unlike what one would expect of dreary dank caverns and small tunnels, the air was warm due to one entrance opening to the desert.

According to Locke, even before relations with the Empire started turning into sour milk, the caves were not used as a normal passage to the southern valley because travelers usually favored riding through the mountain passes which followed the train tracks that began in the mountains of Narshe and wound all the way around the kingdom to various stops for the unloading of coal and machinery. Those with plenty of coin in their purses could purchase seats in the carriages at the front of the train where the seats weren't covered in soot.

But since their group consisted of two very unusual individuals, Locke suggested they go through the caves to avoid too much notice.

In the first room of the cave, the ground dipped downwards at an uncomfortable angle, and made Terra nearly trip into Locke when her red boots tried sliding out from under her on the smooth stone.

There were large torches resting inside iron sconces nailed into the stone walls with blackened tips from use. Locke went up to one and pulled a book of matches from his pants pocket and with a swift motion he raised the lit match to the tip of the torch, and soon it was sputtering little sparks.

A warm, orange glow blossomed from the wood and soon they could see the uneven rocks which made up the walls. Shadows waved out from the jagged stones as the fire crackled.

"Well Locke, you know your way around the best, so lead us on!" Edgar announced, putting a hand on his hip while he gestured dramatically with the other.

The thief stuck his tongue out before turning and walked forward to a narrow opening in the cave walls. Terra quickly scuttled after, missing the king's offer of holding her hand as they went into the depths of the caves. The light from the torch swept through the darkness, bobbing along with Locke's footsteps.

The light sounds of water dripping came from the shadows ahead of the group, and within a few moments, Locke came to a stop and held out his torch to show his friends the spring from which the soft sounds came. Terra came up to his side and saw their vague rippling reflections in the water. The fire was the main thing which could be seen and the light was bright enough to reveal something curious: an opening in the rock wall opposite them.

"Where does that go?" Terra asked quietly, pointing. Was this part of the path they needed to go to reach the end of the cavern? She looked up at Locke's face.

He shook his head at her, "No, it just leads to a different portion of the caves is all. I've only gotten to get to it a couple of times. Nothing really back there but dusty spider webs and a dead end."

Edgar came up on the other side of Terra, careful not to let his crossbow strapped to his belt graze her side.

"It does give one a tantalizing feeling, though! Terra and I have not seen what lies within, Locke, so I wish that we could visit it." Edgar rested his hand on Terra's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

Locke bent down and asked Terra to get the empty bottles out of his pack so he could refill them.

"The water is pretty cool, so let's drink up while we can," he said as Terra sat the bottles by his side on the ground. She knelt and helped him dunk them into the water. Edgar did the same, but stopped after a moment, squinting at something in the spring which was making its way towards the group.

The figure turned out to be a rather large turtle swimming to them, and instead of merely watching, it came right up to Edgar's hand and smacked its head against him.

Locke saw this with quirked eyebrows, "What's that thing's problem?"

The turtle let out a loud rasping noise and wound up his head to hit Edgar again, and oddly enough, Edgar did not withdraw his hand from the water. He smiled down at the creature with a tender look.

Terra furrowed her brow, "Do you know this animal, Edgar?" The turtle turned its head to look at her now, but did not swim over to hit her too. It remained where it was in front of Edgar.

"He's just an old friend is all," Edgar replied before patting the turtle on the head and standing up, taking a bottle of water with him. Terra and Locke shared a confused look before following suit and continuing through the cave. They went through low passageways and around bends in the path and eventually came into a large room where stalactites dipped down from the ceiling and large stones came up from the ground, hiding much of the path from view.

Terra saw steps carved into the rugged ground leading to other openings in the cave, "Can we try going this way?" She pointed to one of the tunnels.

Locke stopped, "Why not? It'll just take a moment." He smiled at Terra as he passed by her, leading the way.

Inside the passage was an old wooden bridge leading across to a little landing where a chest tucked into a corner with its brass latch rusted and cracked sat.

"What do you think is inside?" the young woman asked, looking from Edgar to Locke.

Edgar replied, "Go on and try opening it, my dear!" He gave her a little push, to which she went ahead across the little bridge with careful steps and reached down to the latch. The lock fell apart after she pulled at it and she found a big bottle of green liquid with bright yellow leaves suspended within. Terra came back across to her companions and held it up to them.

"That looks like an antidote, nice find! That'll come in handy if either of us eats something we shouldn't have." Locke explained before gesturing for them to leave the chamber and continue on through the cave. The mage tucked the bottle into a side pocket on her pack as she followed Locke and Edgar out of the cavity. Terra saw old chipping torches sitting in their holders at various points in the cave walls as they passed and another set of stairs, but they did not venture up them.

KLUNK!

Locke fell over sideways with a yelp, one arm flailing outwards while the other tried to catch the ground, his torch following him, sliding on the ground with a sizzle. The culprit turned out to be a large wrench.

The odd fellow who threw the tool emerged from the shadows with a sneer. The ragged work tunic he wore somewhat covered his bouncing belly and with every step, his mouth widened, exposing whatever brown cracked teeth remained in his mouth.

"My, my, my." The fellow extended a hand, "You look very familiar!"

"Jeez that hurt!" Locke shouted, rubbing at his cheek bone.

Edgar moved in front of Terra swiftly, watching the stranger with narrowed eyes.

"I know your face well. Get to see it all the time plastered all over those coins I get for my pay!"

"What are you doing away from South Figaro?" The king demanded.

Locke jumped to his feet, "Yeah! Shouldn't you be at work?! You look like one of the steam engine repair men!"

The man spat sideways, still advancing on the group. He grabbed at another huge wrench on his belt and brandished it like a sword, aimed at Edgar, "Pah! Don't like the pay. Boring work! This kinda job is way more fun!"

He swung the wrench in a wide arc towards Edgar's face, though the attack was unevenly delivered and missed by a couple feet when the king took a step backwards. When the ex-repairman went to swing his tool again, already sweating with exertion, it was met with Locke wielding the other wrench with a clang.

This blow made the repo man drop his wrench and shout out in pain, clutching his hand as if it was cut in half.

"This guy really is a newbie. How does he expect to steal anything?" Locke laughed as he looked from the amateur thief to Terra and Edgar.

Terra peeked around from behind Edgar, confused at how quickly the scuffle was over.

"Maybe we should get a move on."

They left the man behind in the dark once Locke gathered up the torch, which had lost much of its length when it fell out of his hands, though thankfully it was still burning. Terra went ahead and whispered "fire" to herself, willing a ball of fire of her own to help add to their light, hoping that this would help the group see any more people lurking around in the darkness.

Soon enough they came to the exit where Locke blew out his blaze with a big puff and set it up against a corner in the rock wall.

Dusk had come with more large blankets of clouds obstructing the skies above the high grassy valley falling away from the mountains.

"Well Mister Treasure Hunter, where's the closest village?" Edgar asked with a flip of his golden ribboned ponytail and a grin.

The thief looked up to the sky, calculating the direction by the point the sun sat peeking out from behind some wisps of cloud. He rubbed at his chin, and after a moment, pointed southwards.

"It should be about a couple hours this way," he declared and started to march on.

* * *

Before they reached the village, Locke brought up a problem they needed to fix before it was too late. Edgar was a king.

He looked like a king, dressed like a king, and even smelled like a king.

"But this is the newest rose water from Jidoor!" Edgar cried as Locke shook his head after having sniffed his friend over. Yes, he smelled a bit salty and musky due to their travelling in the desert sun, but that new rose water was _strong._ Which at least meant that it achieved the goal for which it was mixed. It was supposed to increase its scent the more somebody sweated.

"We've got to disguise you and Terra the best that we can before we reach the village! The Empire has spies everywhere, and since they saw Terra, they're going to be on our tails like a cat following a fish merchant." Locke pulled a couple of ribbons from Edgar's ponytail and unraveled them to see how wide they were.

Terra nodded and started to untie one of her scarves from around her waist and wrap her minty curls up in a bun. She then got her dark gray cloak out and fastened it around her shoulders, making sure to hide her pendant from view. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to conceal the necklace, but she had a creeping suspicion that Kefka would recognize it.

Meanwhile, Locke was attacking Edgar's clothes with dirt to make his denims look more rough and travelled. He even pulled a short knife from his belt to cut off some of the king's golden blond hair.

Edgar smacked Locke's hands away, "No! This is one of my trademarks as a monarch!"

"You're being ridiculous!" Locke snapped, trying to push against and past his friend's flailing arms.

"Hey, maybe we can just change the style and hide some of his hair beneath bandanas?" Terra suggested, to which Edgar agreed very loudly at Locke's face, spit flying.

Locke glared at him, giving up the struggle at last and pocketed his knife.

"Fine, but if you try to act like a freaking king when we reach the village or South Figaro, I'll knock you into next week and chop that stupid hair off!"

Terra grabbed one of the ribbons Locke had stolen from Edgar's hair and went up to the king. "It must be hard to act like somebody else, Locke."

The king stooped down with a little smile so Terra could reach his hair.

"Maybe you can do most of the talking when we arrive?" she asked as she tugged Edgar's ponytail down some to let it set looser on the back of his neck and tied the ribbon with a twist around it.

Locke grumbled an agreement and got one of his spare bandanas from his wrist and helped Terra hide Edgar's hair beneath it.

The three agreed to purchase more clothes once they reached South Figaro so Terra wouldn't stand out so much with her red dress and boots. And Locke convinced Edgar to dye his hair a darker shade of blond and let his beard grow out.

"I'll need to get a new pair of glasses as well. I can wear those everyday because I need some to see things up close anyways."

* * *

Terra giggled as the little white bird nestled itself into her cupped hands, seemingly content with the bread crumbs she had given it. She stroked at its fluffy feathers with one of her thumbs.

"Ow!" Edgar had been trying to help feed the birds too in the large coop, and quickly found that the little white doves and pigeons did not like either the crumbs he fed them or the smell of his hands. Terra couldn't figure out which reason it was. Two of the birds snapped at his fingers and got a good bit of his skin off, though luckily, without too much blood.

"Edgar man, you really gotta be nicer to these little guys," Locke muttered from his place by a large window without glass where he was scribbling on a small piece of parchment with a stolen charcoal pencil. One little pigeon was standing near Locke's arm, watching his hand silently as if it wondered what the weird little squiggles meant.

The thief was writing in code for his message to his fellow Returners, letting them know that he was making his way to the hideout with a couple of interesting people along for the ride.

Edgar scowled and left the chirping birds on their wooden perch and walked over to his friend. He quickly read the message, "What on earth are you writing about pumpkins for?"

Locke let out an annoyed sigh, "It's a code Bannon made up okay? 'Throwing them into the street' means 'We're on our way as fast as we can.'" He continued scribbling down more supposed code before folding it up into a little rectangle and picked up the brown thread he had gotten from who knew where and tied it around the note so it wouldn't unfold while the bird flew away with it.

"You know as well as I do that if the Empire intercepts any of our messages we're all screwed." Locke busied himself with securing the paper to one of the pigeon's legs and snapped his fingers three times. The bird let out a little chirp before beating its wings and took off into the night.

Terra didn't really listen to the men's debate because she was too busy wondering if she could take the little bird with her. It seemed to really like her and all, so maybe the man who regularly tended them wouldn't mind parting with just one little dove…

The king left the coop after telling the two about how he needed to rinse off his fingers the birds attacked. Locke stuffed the pencil and left over papers into one of his pockets and started to follow Edgar out.

"C'mon Terra, we'd better go get some rest. You can come back and see your new friend tomorrow morning, okay?" Terra smiled at the little bird and gave it a kiss on its puffy head before sitting it down on one of the any perches in the coop.

The village was really nice despite how small it was. There were eight families in all, each with cozy looking brick houses, some with flower beds on either side of the front doors, and others with vegetable gardens out back. There was a big fenced in space off to the western side of the village where livestock where divided up to keep the pigs and cows in their own spaces. A large barn held fully grown chocobos and their young.

And behind the village was acres and acres of wheat growing in neatly tended rows. The village was called Sunley after the man who originally founded the place over a hundred years before. His family passed down the name, making sure to give the name to at least one of the boys they gave birth to. According to Locke, each generation of that family made sure to have at least one boy so they could have another to carry the name.

Apparently, the current family had trouble making a boy and had to keep trying seven times before finally getting a boy. All of the daughters didn't mind though, their parents trying so hard for a boy. They knew it wasn't anything against them because this tradition was merely a tradition. The eldest girl was about sixteen now, and every time Edgar passed her in the dirt road, she fluttered her eyelashes at him coyly, to which he smiled that Figaro smile of his.

Terra saw this display three different times so far during their stay in Sunley, and each time wondered what on earth it meant. The last time she saw it happen, she whispered to herself wondering what it was, and Locke must have heard her because he leaned his head down to her ear and said, "She's making the eyes at Edgar, poor thing."

"What does that mean?" She came to a stop.

Locke stopped too, "She wants to have a little date with him, have a cup of tea, enjoy his smiles so she can think of them later on."

Terra looked confused. "What's a date?"

This made Locke cough and advert his eyes suddenly, unsure how to explain the ways of courtship.

"Well, ah, it's when people like each other a lot and want to spend time together. Privately…"

"What's so special about that? You and I have spent time together alone, and you and Edgar have spent time alone too."

"That's not what I mean!" Locke shoved his hands into his pants pockets. "It's a different thing than friends hanging out, Ter."

Terra was still confused, but decided to leave their conversation at that, and went along the road, following the way path which led to the little inn where they were spending the night. She heard Locke kick some dirt up with his foot before he started following her.

There had to be a reason why Locke's face turned a bit pink while they talked. Maybe it was because of the chill in the air.

* * *

South Figaro was a large and beautiful city, with tall buildings made with both wood and metals for support, many different shops, pubs, inns, and ships docked at the southern part of town. Once the trio dismounted from their chocobos they had borrowed from a family in Sunley, Edgar took in a deep breath and smiled.

"There's nothing like visiting my city! I haven't been here in months!" The king took off into the cobble-stone streets at a near jog, looking at everything he could before going into the nearest inn to book them a room for the night.

Locke busied himself with taking the birds to the stable that was at the edge of the town, "Hey Ter, you can go on ahead with Ed. I'll be there in a moment."

Terra nodded and walked along the wide street, avoiding bumping into some of the city's people along the way. There was a group of men near the entrance of the inn, talking in low tones about some town down on the Southern continent which was destroyed recently. A man with blond hair glanced up at Terra as she reached out to open the large door to the inn, and did not look away, his face changing from impassive to almost recognition.

Terra ducked inside quickly, unsure of what that look meant and why it made her uneasy.

Edgar was at the wooden counter, discussing with the innkeeper what all they required for their stay in South Figaro, explaining that he needed a copy of each different newspaper because he hasn't been in the area in quite awhile and wanted only to catch up on the local gossip please.

"Well alright sir, so with the single private bathroom, three beds, six newspapers," the innkeeper paused, looking up with raised eyebrows for a moment before resuming his typing on the typewriter, "and the laundry service, your total comes to three hundred gil a night." With the last word, the innkeeper pushed the printing mechanism at the top of the machine to the other end, causing it to let out a ding and pulled the paper out from its place, blowing on the ink before placing it on the counter for the king to sign.

Edgar picked up a pen from the cup next to the vase full of daffodils and signed.

"Sounds fair to me!" he smiled and pulled out his coin purse and withdrew the money.

Terra came up to Edgar's side as the innkeeper was putting the three large coins in the cash register and wrote up a receipt. She noticed that he wrote the name "Gerad."

"Thanks Edgar, Locke will like a bath. He's been talking about his messy hair for a while now," she whispered, smiling up at the king.

"Yeah I know. We could all use a nice bath after all of this travelling." Edgar took the key and receipt from the innkeeper and led Terra up the carpeted set of stairs to the third floor. "And after we get settled in our room, we can grab a bite to eat. There's a specific pub my men have mentioned from time to time that I'd like to try."

The carving on the head of the key read twenty-four and once they reached the matching door with the number carved into a brass plate nailed in the wall next to the door handle, Edgar unlocked it and held the door open for Terra to step inside first.

The room had a polished wood floor with circular rugs placed under each bed so that when one got out of bed, their feet would not slide or feel the cold floor immediately. There was a table off to the right with two chairs at either end with a vase of fresh flowers in the middle, a fireplace at the back of the room with a box with the materials for starting a fire if they desired, and a door to the left which led to the bathroom.

Terra went up to the bed nearest to the bathroom, sat her travel pack on the floor next to it, and climbed into the covers, slipping her feet out of her boots as she adjusted herself on her side, letting the shoes fall onto the floor. She let out a sigh. She hadn't realized how tired she was until her head hit the huge feather pillows. The sheets smelled clean, like the pine trees out in the forests around the city.

With her eyes closed, she listened to Edgar get his bed ready, set his bag down, coins jingling in his pocket, the key thudding on the bedside table.

Then she heard Locke enter the room, recognizing him from his familiar grumbling about how Edgar could've waited downstairs to show him which room they were staying in.

"Oh thank gosh we have a room with a tub!" Locke cried, tossing his pack on his bed and hurried into the bathroom, nearly slamming the door behind him. "Dibs!" he called from inside.

"Leave Terra some hot water so she can take a bath after you!" Edgar yelled back, sitting down on his bed heavily.

Terra smiled into her pillow, slipping off to sleep, looking forward to seeing all of South Figaro after they had a meal in that pub Edgar wanted to go visit.


	6. Unspoken

**Looking Down From Cerulean Skies**

**Unspoken**

"Urgh…" Locke's fingers tapped on the table. Something wasn't right. Something was making his ears burn, and it wasn't just because he was seated below one of the gas lanterns that were hung around the walls of the pub. If there was something his old grandmother was right about, it was that if you looked at somebody and they made your ears burn, there was something suspicious going on. It was just a matter of finding out what that thing was.

He picked up his mug and took a long drink of his coffee, all the while watching the stranger across the pub. He wasn't blatantly staring at the guy, but he was watching him.

Locke heard Edgar say something, "Yeah sure, sounds good…" he didn't even pay attention to what he agreed to. Many of the pub's patrons were smoking cigarettes and cigars, which lent a layer of fog through which Locke could hide his lingering glances at the stranger.

The stranger was dressed in nearly all black, his face was covered by a strange mask—looked like one you'd see out east. It had designs on it that Locke couldn't quite see from where he sat. The masked man had a dark navy shirt on underneath his black cloak made of wool. He had black and plum colored scarves and bandanas tied around his head, securing his mask and mostly covering whatever hair the guy had, if he even had any. By the way his cloak was settled, Locke could tell that the stranger had at least one sword on his belt.

The thing that made him even more suspicious in Locke's eyes was that he had a huge black dog sat next to his feet that snarled each time a patron passed by.

Locke had seen oodles of people come through South Figaro and tons of them wearing all dark clothes and masks and the like; it came with the city having a harbor, however, something about this man was making Locke's hair stand on end. Especially the dog.

Edgar snapped his fingers in front of Locke's face suddenly.

"Helloooo? You there, buddy?" Edgar asked, now waving his fingers around in front of Locke's nose.

"We've asked you a few times now where we can go find some new glasses for Edgar…" Terra said quietly, giving Locke a concerned look.

Edgar and Terra had finished their meal and drinks and had stacked their plates neatly together to provide less mess for the wait staff to clean up.

"Oh, sorry about that, must have been daydreaming…" Locke mumbled, finishing off the last of his coffee as he left a few coins on the table. "Let's go, follow me."

He led the way out, passing by people nursing their glasses and ale, some flirty women, and a young girl who wandered in demanding a bowl of stew. The smoke from the patrons' vices made the air heavy, which he only really noticed once he started walking.

As they reached the door which opened to the cobblestone street, Locke gave a last quick glance over his shoulder and saw that the stranger shrouded in black was watching him back with a wintry glare.

"Okay, so which way, Mister Treasurehunter?" Edgar smiled, looking this way and that, clearly enjoying seeing his city in the early evening.

Locke nodded his head to the north, "This way, luckily for us the clothing shop doesn't close until ten. The oculist rents out part of the shop, so we can kill two birds with one stone. Gotta get some more clothes for us all." He made a motion with his hand for them to follow as he started walking away from the pub. Terra and Edgar followed along at a slower pace than Locke, both wanting to take their time as they took in the sights of the city.

The cobblestone streets of South Figaro were lined with tall black gas lanterns, some of which had metal street signs nailed to the stand indicating which street was which. There was a pair of teenage boys in linen button-ups and brown caps going to each lantern to light them for the evening.

One of the pimply teens gave Locke a big grin when they passed by, and the other one winked and blew a flirty kiss at Terra. Eyes wide, unsure of how to respond, she just gave a shy smile and hurried along to catch up to Locke's side.

The evening air was warm and humid on Terra's face. She was so glad to finally be in a town where the weather was actually comfortable. The castle was very hot, being in the desert, and Narshe was snowy and icy, so being in South Figaro felt like such a treat.

Locke led them by tall buildings, many of which were houses built against the towering stone and brick walls that surrounded over half of the city.

There was one enormous house set apart from the rest. It was built in a different style from the others, with darker wood on the outer walls, and brick going up one side where chimneys stood high above it all. The tiles of the roof were darker too, to match the wood, and there was a part of the face of the house that had huge pieces of glass which formed a great window. The curtains were drawn to for the night, so Terra could only guess at what they were hiding. Perhaps it was a dining hall?

There were walkways connecting buildings above the city streets to where somebody could go from one shop to the next without stepping foot outside. The walkways were built to look seamless with the buildings they connected.

As the trio passed underneath one of these to follow the road to the shopping district, Terra noticed an odd form in the shadows. Once Edgar walked ahead, she could see that the form was a young couple wrapped up in each other. She wondered why they were hiding away instead of being at home.

She just sighed and continued on by Locke's side. Perhaps she could find a book somewhere that could explain these things. When she last spoke with Locke about it, he got pink and seemed to want to change the subject.

Terra didn't notice that Locke had seen the couple as well and was watching Terra's face from the corner of his eye to see how she would react. He was curious about whether or not seeing the city and all of the people would trigger any new memories.

They passed by a large water wheel working away at the end of one street where a bridge crossed a stream that ran through town leading into the sea. It powered a generator for the black smithery and bakery on either side.

Edgar spotted the sign for the clothing shop first and implored his friends to hurry along!

A bell rang once they entered, and they were met with an older, well dressed gentleman seated behind a long counter where he was working a sewing machine. He did not show any sign of hearing them come in and did not look up when they approached the counter.

The shop was neatly organized by the type of clothing and had a section for shoes, an area for customers to get measured for new garments and try on the pieces they chose. There were mannequins placed round the store wearing the latest fashions. Ruffley dresses adorned with lacey sleeves stood by sleek suit jackets and crisp button-up shirts complete with ties. They even had smaller mannequins which modeled children's clothes.

"Pardon me, sir," Edgar said clearly, hoping to be heard over the roar of the sewing machine. The man didn't hear him, too focused on his work. Locke shook his head at this, and then slapped the counter a few times close to where the old man was working to grab his attention.

The man got startled by this and nearly toppled over the sewing machine. He turned it off and cleared his throat, "Hello there, sorry about that. I was working on a commission that's rather urgent from what I was told."

"Oh it's alright, sir," Edgar replied before Locke could respond. "We would like to purchase some new clothes! Many of ours are quite worn down by our travels."

"Why of course, of course," the gentleman smiled and came around from behind the counter to show them what he had ready on the shelves. He introduced himself as Mr. Thomas and asked what they would like to see first. Locke said that some new jeans would be good, so Mr. Thomas pulled out a tape measure to get his and Edgar's measurements.

He was able to find a couple pairs that were Locke's size, and pointed to the dressing area so Locke could try them on, but he did not have any that were long enough for Edgar. The king was much too tall. Mr. Thomas promised however, that he could have some prepared by the next morning if he could take a few more measurements of course.

Terra wandered over to the women's section as Edgar was getting measured up and found a rosy-pink dress hung with others like it in different colors. It had short puffy sleeves and was fitted under the bust and flared out to where the hemline stopped at the knee. The material felt smooth and light, like it would be comfortable to move around in.

"That would look very nice on you, Terra," came a voice. Terra jumped and snapped her head around and saw that it was just Locke who snuck up on her. He was holding the two pairs of jeans he tried on so he could buy them.

"Oh my, yes it would my dear!" cried Mr. Thomas who peeked around from Edgar's shoulder. "Try it on! Do try it on!"

Terra exhaled deeply, feeling her heart calm down after the scare, and nodded. She picked up the dress and went over to the dressing area. She went behind the long cream-colored curtain and found that the space housed a seat and two floor length mirrors.

She removed her cloak and sat it on the chair, and then pulled her red dress up over her head. Luckily, she had left her scarves in her bag back at the inn or else she would have to untie them all and then retie them again.

The rosy dress fit her almost perfectly. It was too loose in the chest but felt wonderful everywhere else.

Terra took a moment to examine herself in the mirrors. She hadn't had much of a chance before, other than glances at her face in bathrooms. The shade of pink went well with her pale skin and minty green hair pulled up in her ribbons. It seemed to bring out the bright shade of green in her eyes.

It was interesting seeing how a new dress made her look so different. Upon further inspection, she saw that the fabric had light flower patterns that seemed to blur into the main color of the dress from farther away.

She stepped out from behind the curtain and found that all three men were stood around waiting to see her.

"Oh my dear! You look so lovely in that dress!" Mr. Thomas cried, "You know, my daughter designed it! She has a talent for making flattering dresses if I do say so." He hurried over to inspect how it fit her.

As Terra lifted up her arms so Mr. Thomas could see if the dress needed any alterations, Edgar was rubbing his chin in thought, "Hmmmm! That color is indeed lovely on you dear!" He made a show of stepping forwards, furrowing his brows, and turning his head this way and that, as if he were a critique trying to see a piece of art from all angles.

She saw that his eyes locked in on her legs, "BUT! Terra dear, your legs are much too lovely to be hidden away like that from the world!"

The king came over and lifted the hemline up a bit to her middle thigh, "See, Mr. Thomas, what I mean? I think THIS length would suit her much better! She wears stockings anyways, so it's not as if she's 'exposing' herself or anything."

Mr. Thomas stepped away so he could see what Edgar meant, hmm-ing as he took in the possible alteration, "Oh ho, you do have quite an eye for what suits a lady! That length would be flattering, but elegant all the while! And that style is indeed in with the young folk nowadays."

Terra felt her cheeks get warm at this commotion and settled her arms down at her sides, looking away from the two jabber on and point at her dress with whether to put lace here or there. Her eyes went to Locke, who was standing near the clothes rack where her dress came from and noticed that he was not participating in the conversation.

He was looking at her, yes, but in a much different way than Edgar and Mr. Thomas were. Those two were just going on about the dress itself, but his brown eyes were moving up and down her form. This made her feel odd and warm, so she looked away quickly from him.

"OH! Another thing, Mr. Thomas! We may have to do some alterations at her bust. It seems a little loose there." Edgar pointed at the area in question, to which Terra flinched away and folded her arms over her chest.

"Uh huh, I did notice that as well Gerad." Mr. Thomas nodded his head, "That will be an easy area to fix."

"Or we can always just add a little padding! The dress is beautiful otherwise!" Edgar exclaimed, flourishing his hands to Terra in adoration.

Terra heard Locke cough, "Hey Ed, how about you go ahead and see the oculist. They're through that door over there."

"Huh? Oh yes, you're right, I need to take care of that quickly before we leave!" and with that Edgar hurried away to the oculist's side of the shop.

Mr. Thomas had her turn around so he could examine her back. She was glad to do so because her face felt like it was getting warmer by the second. She saw that the tailor was scribbling down some numbers and notes on his pad of paper. "Now young lady, do you like this dress, or would you like something else?" He asked once he was finished writing. "Because if you do, then I'll make the alterations to your liking. Your friend had some very good ideas, but it's your dress after all!"

Terra nodded at Mr. Thomas and smiled, "I would like it taken in a little, please. But I like the length just fine."

"Splendid! I'll have it ready for you when you all come back in the morning to pick up Gerad's new pants!" He gave her a toothy smile and gestured for her to change back into her clothes.

When Terra went back behind the curtain, she heard Locke say, "Hey Ter, if you need anything else in here, go ahead and pick it out. It's on me!"

"Okay, thanks!" she replied softly. Again, his voice gave her a little scare with how close it was and how suddenly it came. She turned to the chair where her cloak and dress lay and saw that her cheeks were more rosy than the dress in the mirror.

Maybe it was just stuffy in the shop.

* * *

Edgar said that he would pick up their new clothes in the morning, so he held onto the receipt for them. He was sat across the room at the table with his notebook and crossbow and a bunch of tools and oddments of metal skewed across the tabletop. Terra didn't know what he did with the vase of flowers.

He was wearing his new glasses while he worked and seemed very happy with the silver frames he chose. Luckily for him, his eyesight problem was a common one, so he was able to buy one of the readymade pairs of glasses instead of having to wait a week for the oculist to make him a pair of lenses from scratch.

Terra sat on the side of her bed smoothing some lightly scented lotion on her arms and face. It was a small gift from one of the maids back at the castle who told Terra in a very serious tone that a young lady needed to keep her skin moisturized to stay healthy, especially while traveling. She pushed a few tendrils of her damp hair back over her shoulder and with a final rub, all the lotion was applied. She twisted the cap back on the bottle and tucked it back into her pack. She pulled her legs up into the bed and sat with them folded at her side and smoothed out her new lavender nightgown from Mr. Thomas's shop. It was her turn to take the first bath of the night so she could have plenty of hot water.

She had really wanted some time to herself after being out shopping, so finding solace in bubbly bathwater was a good chance.

The bubbles tried to assure her that she was normal. That getting red in the cheeks was normal. That Locke was just admiring her new dress and nothing more. And Edgar was just being…Edgar.

She could not figure out what it was about the way he looked at her that made her feel embarrassed. What was it about seeing that couple in the shadows under the overpass that made her mind wander into hazy territory?

She felt like she should know what it was. It was like that feeling was just barely there out of arm's reach. She wondered if she had ever felt that way before the slave crown. Maybe her past self knew exactly what those feelings were. Maybe she had done something like that couple in the shadows did.

"Hey guys! They were having a three for fifty gil sale at the apothecary on tonics!"

Locke's voice drew Terra back out of her head as he shoved the door shut with his foot.

The thief jostled over to his bed with his heavy paper bags and sat them down carefully so as not to break anything. He started unpacking everything with the vigor and glee of somebody unwrapping a gift.

He had definitely stocked up on tonics, and potions and antidotes and eyedrops and even spare pairs of socks! Edgar sat his crossbow down and went over to Locke's side to look at everything his friend had brought them.

"Hmm, good idea with getting more socks. I forgot to buy a few pairs at the clothing shop." Edgar said as he picked out a couple black pairs from the pile now taking over Locke's bed.

"Goodness Locke," Terra said quietly, looking from her spot at his bounty. "Do you think we'll be able to carry all of that? I wonder if everything will fit along with our new clothes."

"Huh. I guess I didn't really think about it that way." Locke turned his head to face her and gave her a silly grin and a shrug.

"There's only one way to find out!" And with that, Locke started organizing everything by what was what, and then dividing everything out equally between the three of them.

He ended up giving Terra four tonics, a potion, a new sleeping bag, three bottles of antidotes, and asked her if she wanted some socks, or if her stockings were enough for her. She accepted everything but the socks and watched while he sat the bottles down on her bed so she could put everything in her bag. He didn't like the idea of messing with her stuff.

"Thanks for the sleeping bag! This is perfect!" Edgar said from his bed where he was attaching the straps from the sleeping bag to his bag so it would hang underneath it comfortably. Terra watched the king do this for a moment before deciding to put her sleeping bag on the floor next to her pack. She would deal with attaching it to her pack in the morning.

"Here, I'll go ahead and tie your sleeping bag to your pack, okay?" Locke had snuck up on her again. And she was acutely more aware of how close he was when he crouched down at the side of her bed and set to work by doing some sort of knot.

"There we go! I'll show you how to do that knot once we're on the road again," He flashed her that silly grin once more and sprung back up to his feet.

Edgar let out a long yawn from his bed, "Gosh, I'm ready to get some beauty rest!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going to scrub up first, Kingy." He scratched at his bandanas as he said this, "I'll try to be quiet in there."

Terra got out of bed and went over to the fireplace to blow out the candles sat on the mantelpiece and then to the gas lamps fixed into the walls to snuff them out while Edgar let out another luxurious yawn, complete with stretching like a happy cat. "Thank you my dear!" He said before going into a sigh.

"Hey Locke, want me to leave one lit so you can see when you come back out?" Terra asked, looking over at him by the bathroom door, waiting for his response.

He shook his head, "Nah, I'll be fine, don't worry." And with that he stepped into the bathroom and shut the door quietly behind him. Terra went over to the last lamp and snuffed it out.

"Goodnight Edgar," she said softly in his direction, to which he said the same. She stepped as lightly as she could over to her bed and climbed into the freshly washed blankets and sheets.

It felt lovely getting to sleep in a bed every night. And to have access to a big bathtub and soaps and fluffy towels and a warm fire. Was this what it was like living at home?

She gradually drifted off to sleep, listening to Locke hum a song in the bathroom while he was shuffling things around in there.

* * *

Terra woke up to Locke and Edgar bickering in whispers about whether they should order tea or coffee from room service and how many pieces of toast and about what they think she would prefer.

"I'm telling you, tea is the best option first thing in the morning! It's lighter and not as hard on the stomach!" Edgar whispered haughtily. "You can get your roasted bean water at a café after breakfast!"

Locke huffed at this, "Well I need a kick in the ass when I'm eating breakfast or else I'll be in a bad mood! Your leaf juice is too damn weak!" He wasn't doing a good job at whispering at all.

He didn't seem to be in a bad mood when they were travelling alone together before they got to the castle though? Terra wondered if Locke had some coffee stashed in his bag back then and just drank it before she woke up or something.

Terra rolled over onto her side and saw that they were not even dressed for the day—just in their sleep clothes still. The sky on the other side of the curtains was dark. It must be really early. How did they have so much energy already? She just wanted to sleep more before eating. For some reason she did not sleep very well.

Peculiar dreams plagued her in her sleep. She remembered lots of warmth, too warm, almost like she was about to step into a fire. But it wasn't like when she was casting a spell. She remembered feeling something really soft and smooth and sighs and a smile that seemed to draw her in closer.

She must have let out a sigh, because Edgar suddenly cried, "Gods man, you woke her up!" The king was not even bothering to whisper now. "You're so inconsiderate sometimes!"

"_Well, no point in trying to go back to sleep now."_ Terra opened her eyes again to see Edgar grab up his hairbrush with a scowl at the thief and plop down at the table.

Locke came to sit down on his bed facing Terra and sat leaning forwards, elbows on his thighs, no shirt? She could have sworn he wore an old sleeveless shirt to bed like the other night.

"Well that must have been a bad wake-up call, Ter, sorry about that." He said, giving her an apologetic smile.

That smile. It was the one from her dream!

"It's okay," she replied softly. She propped herself up on her arm, "What time is it?"

"I think it's about seven; a maid came by and asked if we wanted breakfast because the kitchens were starting to prepare." He explained, watching as Terra rubbed at her eye with the palm of her free hand.

"So what would you like? They have all sorts, eggs, bacon, ham, oatmeal…" the thief continued listing off things until Edgar cut in. "Which would you prefer for a drink Terra? Tea or coffee?!"

Locke shot a glare at the king.

"Why can't we order both?" Terra asked, confused as to why they were having the debate in the first place. The men looked at each other.

"Well Terra dear, we were planning actually on surprising you with breakfast until _somebody _woke you up," the king stood up, brush in hand, "But I suppose that plan fell through!" Edgar flounced his way to the bathroom.

"You two go on and order. I'm going to freshen up!" He called from the bathroom.

Terra pushed back her blankets and settled her legs over the side of the bed. Her nightgown had managed to ride up a lot in her sleep, so as she smoothed it down, she said, "Honestly Locke?"

The thief looked back at her, "Hmm?"

"I'd like some milk with my food instead of tea or coffee." She smiled.

* * *

The markets of South Figaro were such a rush of activity and things to see that Edgar felt that it would take him days to see everything. He loved how his city evolved from the time he was a boy when his father was on the throne to now.

There were many advancements in the machinery now thanks to his work. The chimneys now released a mist like steam from their openings instead of black choking smoke from burning wood or coal directly. He had developed special boilers which still used coal, but in a more concentrated way so they could burn less and the steam they produced is what powered the engines for power in the city, his castle, and parts of Narshe. Their alliance meant that he traded some of his blueprints and machinery with their engineers and they provided his realm with coal and metals extracted from their mines.

The king could see evidence of his inventions everywhere, from the waterwheels powering more than just a mere granary to the machines the blacksmiths used to pound iron and steel into tools and weapons efficiently instead of relying on the muscles in their arms. Everything ran smoothly and streamlined.

Since he did not have much time as of late, what with dealing with the Empire, the Returners, and managing his kingdom, he hardly had time to just enjoy himself.

He followed Locke and Terra through the marketplace, watching as merchants shouted at passing people to inspect their wares! They had the best meat! The best beans! At the cheapest prices!

Families gathered at the produce stalls, each carrying different items for their lunches and dinners while the mothers or fathers paid. Young children clung to their mothers' skirts, crying for sweets as they shopped, and teenagers wandered over to stalls that sold jewelry and trinkets from around the world.

Terra stopped outside of a flower shop where there were large displays of plants in clay pots and wreathes woven with both flowers and herbs for special occasions to help bring luck and happiness. Locke had wandered away a few paces, still yakking at her before noticing that she had stopped and backpedaled to her side. Edgar came up to his friends and saw that Terra was running her fingers against a huge ashy white flower with curled petals the size of dinner plates planted in a large pot with intricate designs painted all over it.

"The petals feel like velvet…" she whispered as she looked at the flower in awe.

Locke reached out to touch the petals too, "It's called a ghost rose. People keep them in their houses to keep their ancestors near."

Edgar was about to ask how in the world Locke knew what it was when they suddenly heard high-pitched barking.

A fluffy brown dog scrambled out of the crowd and stopped at Terra's boots and started sniffing around at her feet.

"Huh? What's this?" Terra kneeled and held her hand out to the dog, which sniffed her and then started licking her in between yips and whines.

"He must be lost, poor thing," Edgar said and leaned down too so he could pat the dog on the head, which it accepted with slobber on his hand. "Yech…" he grimaced and stood back up while wiping his hand off on his pants.

Then, a finely dressed woman emerged from the crowd with tears running down her cheeks.

"MOPS! OH MOPSIE-POO, WHERE HAVE YOU GONE?!" she cried out, twirling from one direction to another, desperately looking for wherever this Mops was. Her calls drew the attention of the dog at Terra's feet, and apparently the dog did not want to be part of whatever this woman was doing, so it hid behind Terra's leg. But the woman saw this and hurried over to the group. She grasped Terra's hands in both of hers and sobbed.

"My dear! My dear! Oh, you found my Mopsie!" More tears pooled in the woman's blue eyes as she said this.

"Oh, you mean this dog?" Terra asked, looking down at the now cowering dog.

The woman's voice was eerily familiar to Edgar, and her dress. Especially how low cut the neckline was. It really showed off her…assets. "Yes! My poor Mops got lost while I was admiring some pearl earrings they shipped in from Jidoor just now. Thank goodness he didn't get far!"

Yes, her voice rung a bell, badly. The king backed up quickly behind some of the large lilies and hanging plants before the woman noticed him.

"I'd be lost without my poor puppy!" The woman gushed, and Edgar saw her swoop down and gather up the dog into her arms. "I just got him a few weeks ago, so he's still learning how to stay by my side. He could have gotten injured or stolen!"

Locke crossed his arms at this, "Maybe if you kept the mutt on a damn leash…" The king was not able to hear the rest of his friend's grumbling over the woman now going on about how grateful she was to Terra, who kept stammering out protests that she really didn't do anything.

"I'm Mrs. Addison, by the way, dear!" the woman drew in close to Terra with a big smile on her painted pink lips. "I would love it if you would come to my home for some tea as a thank you!"

He knew it. Mrs. Addison! He stepped back as far as he could, hiding his face and turning his head away.

"Well, I don't know, I mean, I don't want to intrude, Mrs. Addison," Terra tried to say, but Mrs. Addison would not have it. He was able to see the lady grasp Terra's hand with her free one while the dog squirmed around and practically begged Terra to come as her guest and that she had the most delicious cake her cook prepared that morning and that she wanted to show her the greenhouse her husband had built for her and went on and on until Terra finally agreed with a small smile.

"Oh wonderful! Come, come, follow me!" and with that, Mrs. Addison pulled Terra away into the crowd towards the residential district.

"H-hey! Terra! Wait!" Locke called and made after them only to be grabbed roughly on the shoulder by the king.

"Ed, we gotta hurry! Who knows where that woman lives!" Locke practically yelled in Edgar's face.

Edgar just sighed and said, "Look, she's an Addison. Head to the biggest mansion and you'll find them." The king let go of Locke's shoulder, "I'll meet you guys at the pub later."

Locke didn't question him and took off, leaving Edgar partially hidden in the strong aromas of pansies, roses, and honeysuckles. He let out another sigh, and emerged from the plants, hoping that he did not draw any attention.

"I think it's time to find a copy of today's newspaper and a cup of tea." Edgar pulled a thin scarf from his pocket and went in the opposite direction his friends went. The last thing he needed was dealing with the silly Addison family again. The gentleman had the backbone of a jellyfish, the lady acted like a twit, and the children were rowdy and got under foot too often when they were discussing the more intricate details of the Addison's shipping goods around the realm. He tied the scarf loosely around his hair in a style like Locke's, and swiftly walked along the outskirts of the market.

He saw the sign for one of the bakeries a few of his maids often squealed in delight to each other about and hurried to the door. It was called The Pumpkin House Bakery.

The aroma of nutmeg and pumpkin pies wafted out into the street as he opened the door, and his sinuses seemed to clear up instantly after taking in a few breaths of the spicy air.

The bakery doubled as a bookstore, according to his girls, and he saw that this was not an exaggeration in the slightest. He figured that they meant perhaps the bakery sold newspapers and some of the popular novellas of the season, but no. There were several huge bookcases lining much of the shop on the customer side. Edgar moved closer to read some of the titles and saw that they carried everything from mystery novels to cookbooks, histories to technology, and everything in between! He found himself excited by this and grabbed a couple books on machinery and a history of legends through the ages.

"Hey sir!" came a voice nearby. Edgar turned in the direction of the varnished counter and saw that a young man in an apron, not much older than fifteen, stood with his hand on his hip. "How about you come order something to enjoy while you read, eh?"

"That is indeed a splendid idea, young man!" Edgar went up to the counter and sat his books down. The teenager started punching buttons on their cash register and jerked his thumb up at the large wooden sign hung above the racks of bread and muffins behind him with items painted neatly in white paint.

"There's what you can order. Of course, we can modify it to whatever you want," Explained the youth while he waited for Edgar to decide. The king lifted his glasses off his face so he could read better without the glare of the little lanterns hung around the shop.

He decided on a cup of red tea with cream and a pastry filled with raspberry jam, but he trailed off, noticing in the corner of his eye a fresh newspaper from the Figaroan Post. He grabbed up a copy from the display stand in front of the counter and asked for it as well. The teen rang all of this up and said the total was thirty-seven gil. Edgar handed over the money and as the teen handed him his receipt and swept over to get his tea, his could not take his eyes away from the photograph covering the top half of the newspaper's cover page.

"_Maranda Burns, Ashes Fall, Another Country Kneels to Gestahl's Regime!"_

"Here you go, mister!" The teen came back to Edgar with a fluffy curled up pastry with cream drizzled on top in curly-cues and a large steaming cup of nearly blood red tea.

"Thank you very much," Edgar replied, and folded the newspaper under his arm and balanced his plate on his books as he made his way over to one of the cushiony dark-leather armchairs. There were other people in the bakery as well, each with hot drinks and some sort of treat. A trio of young ladies sat around a high round polished table in matching stools sharing a plate of cookies and giggles. An elderly wispy white-haired woman was seated on one of the leather love-seats with her knitting, and a man who looked a few years older than Edgar was taking over a table next to one of the bookcases where he had papers and open books about and scribbled furiously on a sheet on paper. This reminded him of how he tended to be when he was working on designs in his notebooks back in his workshop in the engine rooms.

The king gave a long sigh as he sat his things down on the dark wooden coffee table covered in pretty doilies. They were just like the ones his mother made.

He wished to be home, with Matron and all of his dear people. Perhaps one of the Returners at the hideout knew any information about the state of his home. He had not seen anything about further attacks on his castle besides the news that it had been attacked and sunk into the desert a few days ago. Nothing more. There were, however, plenty of stories in the papers speculating about why Kefka and his men attacked in the first place, whether or not their king had angered the Empire or broke the alliance, or that the fight was actually caused by King Edgar himself! One paper said that King Edgar decided to make the first move and attempted to assassinate Kefka with some poisoned tea.

That story had made Edgar feel slighted that some of his own people would think such a thing! As if he had so little class as to poison a man's drink instead of having an official duel. He was a king after all! He was raised to act with respect and honor, even with enemies!

Of course, it's not as if Edgar could rush into the writer's home and complain. That would definitely blow his cover, as Locke put it.

Edgar picked up the newspaper and unfolded it all the way so he could read the entire front page while holding his teacup with his other hand.

"_In today's edition of The Figaroan Post, we finally have the full story of what happened in Maranda just days ago._

_The moon had just begun to show its face when the townspeople of Maranda saw an all too familiar sight approaching them. But instead of it being just another visit from the Emperor, the Magitek Knights were on another mission. _

_Missiles fired upon the city with rapid succession, and soon soldiers bum-rushed the people with guns at the ready. _

_Atop the largest Magitek armor rode the youngest general under Emperor Gestahl's command, Celes Chere. Known for her cold demeanor and strong sword skills, the young general also happens to be one of the Emperor's Magitek Knights, bred for battle before she could walk._

_She led the attack upon Maranda late into the night and did not stop until the royal family were all slain by her own blade. Our source claims that she came out onto the balcony of the royal family's home holding the head of the prince for all the citizens to see and proclaimed that Maranda shall assimilate with the Empire or everybody remaining in Maranda will perish._

_Needless to say, the citizens of Maranda bowed down to the lady general and to the Empire._

_Our source has declined to be named. (Perhaps for fear for their life?)_

Above this article was a photograph of Emperor Gestahl, General Leo, Kefka, and General Celes all saluting.

Edgar could not take his eyes from the page. How could a young woman like her take down Maranda?

The photograph was in black and white, but Celes's face was crystal clear. He tried to see any hint of the vile person the newspaper described, but he just found it so unbelievable that a young pretty lady could do such things that he could not even imagine her covered in blood, sword in one hand, the head of a dead man in the other.

Pictures were misleading of course. Edgar found that out the hard way when he was still young and being forced to choose to date young ladies by just pointing at pretty photographs or paintings. Once he finally met them in person, they were either just as sweet as their portrait, or horrible in personality and speech, despite their long fluttery lashes and perfectly pointed noses.

He took a sip of his tea, expecting it to be hot, but found it had cooled quite a bit, nearly cold completely. How long had he been reading?

Edgar gulped down his tea and decided to head over to the tailor's shop to pick up their new clothes before going to the pub to meet Locke and Terra for lunch. He ate his pastry in four bites, gathered up his things, and went up to the counter to return the teacup and plate.

"Why Sabin!"

Edgar spun around quickly and saw a middle-aged woman gazing up at him. She frowned.

"Wait a moment, you're much too short to be Sabin." She said, bringing her hands up to pull her shawl closer around her shoulders.

"Sorry the for confusion, young man. You look just like somebody I know." The woman turned and made to leave before Edgar grabbed her hand.

"Hold on, you know Sabin?"

* * *

The Addison mansion was ridiculously decadent. Locke got the feeling that the Addisons were playing pretend at being royalty! Their lush carpets and opulent rugs were all imported from the Eastern kingdoms and their foyer had a huge crystal chandelier that was comically too large for the space.

Mrs. Addison led Terra and Locke along through her house, pointing out the different rooms they passed by on their way to her greenhouse. It was where she preferred to have tea with her special guests because she felt that it gave a lovely calming feeling when being among all of the flowers and fruit trees.

The greenhouse was indeed beautiful, and Locke could tell that whoever has been tending to the plants put plenty of love into it by the way the colors popped and seemingly exploded with life. It was not in a separate building like Locke had expected but was instead built as part of the house. Two heavy oaken doors opened to the room, and upon setting foot inside, he was met with the smell of herbs growing nearby. White sage, basil, thyme wafted into his nose and made him cough.

Mrs. Addison's plants were settled into patches in rich soil with raised brick sides to prevent the soil from spilling over onto the stylish cobblestone pathways which went along the whole greenhouse in different directions, allowing visitors to walk along and admire all of the plants and trees in comfort. There were enormous windows set into the roof, allowing the sun to pour its rays inside and nourish everything within. He saw that there were curtains tied back at either end of the windows for the day, and figured that Mrs. Addison had her servants pull the curtains out each night once the sun went down. A path leading straight ahead opened up into a stone paved circle where several tea tables were set up with pretty seats, all of which were painted with pink flowers.

Mrs. Addison held out a chair for Terra, "Please have a seat dear." She set her little dog free on the ground, and it scampered away into the bushes with small barks.

"Mopsie loves exploring the greenhouse!" She smiled as she went over to a rope hanging from the ceiling. The lady pulled it and caused a bell to ring. Within moments, a pair of maids appeared at the entrance of the room.

"Good afternoon, my lady!" one said in a high-pitched voice and patted her hands on her white apron. She must have been cleaning right before she was summoned.

"How can we serve you, my lady?" the other asked, also wiping her hands off on her apron.

"Girls, please bring us some tea and cakes!" Mrs. Addison looked over at Locke and Terra, "Is there anything in particular you two would like?" They both shook their heads. Terra said that tea sounded nice.

"Yes Ma'am! We will be back shortly!" the maids said in unison before hurrying away to the kitchens.

Locke declined when Mrs. Addison pointed at a chair for him, "Where is your restroom, Mrs. Addison?"

She pointed at the doors and directed him to go down the hall with the suits of armor and he would find one across from a stuffed wolf.

"Thanks, be back in a jiffy," Locke said before leaving Terra with the lady of the house, who was now jabbering away about how much she loved Terra's clothes and where she bought them.

He was glad to be away from that silly woman for a while. Her voice was giving him a big headache. Locke followed her directions and found the stuffed wolf standing on its hindlegs, posed as if it were about to strike whoever passed by. What a _great_ sight to see when you get to a bathroom.

He went inside the bathroom and once he was finished, he washed his hands with the lush soap next to the faucet. He heard voices when he turned off the tap and went over to where a fluffy towel hung to dry his hands off.

"Mr. Addison, my lady brought some interesting guests with her for tea today…"

Locke froze.

"Yes, yes, the girl has a sort of minty green hair! Quite peculiar, right?"

"And the man looks a bit scruffy, I think. Needs a bit of a shave."

It was the maids! Locke leaned closer to the door, listening.

"Interesting," said a man's voice. "Go on with your duties girls. I need to send a letter…" the voice trailed off.

Locke waited until he heard footsteps and the voices of the maids fade away before emerging from the bathroom. He opened the door to a crack and made sure that nobody was near when he came out. He saw the retreating form of who must be Mr. Addison going around the corner at the far end of the hall in the opposite direction of the greenhouse. He stepped lightly down the hall and as he approached where the hall turned, he saw a set of stairs going up several floors. He heard Mr. Addison's footsteps on the stairs and waited until they receded before going up the steps himself.

He crept as quietly and as swiftly as he could up the stairs and once he got to the second floor, he saw a wide hallway and a loft with windows that showed the streets of South Figaro below.

One of the rooms off the hallway had its door open, and he could hear Mr. Addison inside speaking very loudly. Locke moved closer to the door and pressed himself with his back against the wall next to the door to prevent anybody below from seeing him.

"Andrew! Where did you stow away my pens? I have a very important letter to write!" Mr. Addison sounded out of breath now, as if he had run a mile.

"They're over here, sir. Let me bring them to you," another voice replied with the patience of a man who has dealt with much trouble in his many years. He must be a manservant.

"Thank you, thank you. Oh my goodness! My chance has come!" Mr. Addison cried. Locke heard papers shuffling around and a bottle clinking.

"Sir, what do you mean?"

"I'll be able to get into the Emperor's good graces now! The girl is here! I need to send word to Kefka immediately!"

"Well sir, I shall wait here for you to write your letter, and I'll deliver it to the good general myself," the manservant replied.

"Yes, yes! Take the fastest chocobo from our stable as well!"

Locke fought back the urge to jump into the room and cut Mr. Addison's fingers clean off and rushed down the staircase as quietly as he could. Once down on the first floor, he sprinted back to the greenhouse, thankfully dodging the attention of any of the waitstaff.

The thief composed himself the best that he could before entering the greenhouse. He had to make sure he did not give away that he went anywhere else but the restroom, and that he did not overhear anything at all. He went back inside and found Terra and Mrs. Addison chattering about their favorite flowers.

Upon seeing Locke's return, Mrs. Addison jumped up, "Oh there you are! We wondered if perhaps you had gotten lost!"

Locke rubbed at his light brown hair where his bandanas were sliding down, "Hah, well I got sidetracked by admiring the paintings on the walls on my way back actually. I've seen ones just like them down in Jidoor!"

"They are gorgeous, aren't they? My husband has gone down there to the auction house many times," and with that Mrs. Addison seemed satisfied with Locke's answer, and invited him to sit and drink some tea. He took a seat next to Terra and poured himself a cup.

"It's very nice in here, isn't it?" Terra asked him, her eyes wistfully looking all around them, taking in everything that she could.

"Yes, very. Does it remind you of anything?" Locke dropped his voice low, hiding his mouth behind the teacup so Mrs. Addison wouldn't see his lips move.

Terra closed her eyes and inhaled deeply with her whole body, trying to urge any memories on the edge of her mind to come out of the shadows. She just shook her head. "Nothing…"

"Terra dear, how about you and I explore a little if you're finished with your tea?" Mrs. Addison suggested, already standing up herself. She sat her handkerchief down on the table next to her cup after wiping her hands free of crumbs from the cakes. Terra agreed and sat her teacup down as well.

She paused and looked at Locke, who waved her off, "I'll join you in a bit; I wanna have a bite of cake here." He took a long sip of his tea and added, "It looks delicious, Ma'am!" This made Mrs. Addison pleased, and she implored him to eat as much as he liked while she took Terra along with her into the roses.

And Locke did just that and scarfed down four of the finger cakes topped with strawberries and frosting along with a few of the flower shaped cookies. He needed to get Terra out of there and tell Edgar what was going on. He washed down the treats with the last of his tea and decided to go over to where the giant windows came down to see if he could see the main entrance of the city from where they were. It would be easy to see Imperials marching towards them.

Mrs. Addison was showing Terra a new batch of roses she had planted as he walked by and was explaining about the "Language of Flowers." Locke hadn't heard somebody talk about that in years, back when he was still living with his grandmother and she taught the village children about it and the uses of herbs. Back then, he made it his goal to gather certain flowers every time they were in season—white heather, purple hyacinths, gardenias, daisies, sunflowers, and red roses. Since then, he only really cared about white lilies and ghost roses…

Terra let out a cry. She had scratched her hand on some thorns from a large flower bush as she had reached out to examine a lovely purple bloom. Locke hurried over and saw that there was quite a bit of blood dripping from the cuts. The thorns must have been good at hiding because she had done a good job of not getting stuck by the yellow roses back near the tea tables.

He withdrew a midnight blue bandana from his back pocket and started wiping up the blood as gently as he could. "You okay Terra? You didn't get scratched anywhere else, did you?" A few tears ran down her cheeks as she shook her head no. Her long curly bangs that framed the sides of her face fell, hiding her from view while Locke continued dabbing up the blood. The wounds where the thorns got her were surprisingly deep. That damn Mrs. Addison has probably been dabbling in creating hybrid roses to show off to her rich friends.

Locke reached up with his clean hand to sweep the curls out of her face, "We'll get some medicine on this, okay? I'm sure that woman has something we can use."

Suddenly, he felt something akin to sparks popping around on his other hand. He looked down at their hands, hers still in his—tiny leafy-green bubbles were jumping out of her fingertips and bouncing over to where her wounds were. He gasped as he saw that the bubbles were absorbing into her skin and the cuts disappeared. Locke looked back to her face and brushed his thumb under one of her bright green eyes to wipe the tears away, "That was amazing. Guess we don't need any medicine."

She met his eyes and gave him a smile, "Thanks, it feels much better now."

They were not able to see that Mrs. Addison had witnessed Terra's little magic show from where she stood, hidden by the stems and leaves of her many ferns and flower bushes.

"OH MY!" Mrs. Addison cried out, "I cannot believe it has gotten so late!" She hurried over to the pair, noticing that Locke had withdrawn his hands from Terra in a flash, and ignored that the girl's eyes were puffy.

"I am sorry, but I have a dinner date planned for this evening with my husband, and I must prepare!" Mrs. Addison said in a rush.

"I'll see you to the door now; again, I am so very sorry for asking you to leave so suddenly, but I've lost track of the time with all of the fun we were having!" Mrs. Addison shooed them from the greenhouse and led them to the front door.

"I do hope you'll forgive me, Miss Terra! I'll be sure to invite you back over sometime soon!"

And with that Terra and Locke were practically pushed out the door and onto the Addison's walkway.

Locke helped steady himself and Terra as they reeled from what just happened. Terra looked around them and saw that the skies had gotten a bit cloudy.

"Huh, well I guess it's time to go meet Edgar," Locke shrugged his shoulders, and held onto Terra's hand as he led them out onto the streets to the pub. Thank goodness they were leaving.

* * *

The pub was rowdy as ever when Locke and Terra arrived, and they found Edgar easily enough at a table against the wall with two packages wrapped up in brown paper.

"Hey Ed," Locke waved, but before he and Terra could sit, Edgar shot up and said, "Follow me!" and hurried out the door, packages in hand.

They went after Edgar and finally caught him outside of their inn. "What's up with you?" Locke demanded of his friend, who was looking every which way as if afraid that somebody was about to sneak up on them and attack!

"We've got to get out of here!" Edgar urged in a hushed tone. He started to pull open the door to the inn before Locke yanked his hand back.

"Look, I know we gotta leave soon, but you could at least tell us what's up!" Locke crossed his arms at his friend. "What did you find out?"

The king pushed past Locke roughly, "I'll tell you once we're out of town. Now c'mon!" He opened the door and practically ran up the stairs to their room. He was already shoving things into his pack and grabbing his things from the bathroom when Locke and Terra came into the room.

"Um, Edgar?" But Edgar did not hear Terra over his own muttering and clamor. So, she simply went over to the foot of his bed where he laid the packages down and opened one up so she could see which one contained her new dress. The one she opened first had Edgar's new jeans inside, so she pulled open the other package and found her dress. She felt a little rude for unwrapping his clothes too, but he did not seem to take much notice.

During this, Locke was trying to get Edgar to tell him what happened, whether he saw one of the Imperials in town, or maybe that creep from the pub last night with the big dog, but the king was too immersed in what he was doing to answer, so Locke gave up and just started packing up his things as well. Terra did the same, and within ten minutes the three were ready to leave.

Edgar was the first out the door with his crossbow strapped precariously to the top of his travel pack. Locke hoped that he put the safety on. He stopped by the innkeeper's desk and signed next to their room number in the book on the counter and left the key. Locke followed Terra outside where Edgar was waiting, and then led them to the chocobo stable where he left their birds.

The stables were open around the clock due to travelers showing up at all hours, so they were able to pick up their chocobos and take off into the early evening.

Edgar was riding his own chocobo like before, and Locke was riding the other with Terra holding on behind him.

The sun was dipping lower and lower into the sky as they rode along, and Terra wondered if they were heading into the mountains like Locke had told her.

"Ed! Why are you trying to steer us this way? We're supposed to head northeast to get to Mount Kolts," Locke pulled up close to Edgar's bird so the king could hear him.

Terra saw Edgar shake his head at this, "A woman in town told me to go north. There's supposed to be some cottages nearby that we could go to safely."

"What? Who did you talk to?" Locke smacked the tail of one of his bandanas out of his face. He would not look away from Edgar.

"Master Duncan's wife, Clara," he replied and looked over at the two. "We might be able to find him!"

* * *

Night fell softly as the trio reached one lonely cottage tucked into a wooded area with a single path leading to the yard.

The cottage was a simple house, with a vegetable garden visible off to one side, two beds of flowers planted under the windows of the front of the house, and an old well sat just inside the clearing.

"Maybe the owner has a carrier pigeon I could borrow," said Locke as he walked up to one of the windows and peered inside. There were not any lit candles or lamps inside.

Edgar went over to the well and drew up a bucket of water, "I hope they won't mind if we refill our bottles."

Locke knocked on the door loud enough to be heard even if the owner was hard of hearing.

"I don't think anybody's inside," Terra came up quietly and looked in the other window. By the light of the moon she was able to see a bed with its blankets spilled out onto the floor. Locke went ahead and tried the door and found that it was not locked at all!

They found that the cottage was just one big room and there was not a soul in sight. Terra whispered into her hands and small flames flew out from her and went around to light every candle in the place. They were able to see that the house was definitely lived in, and not just because of the messy bed at one end of the room. There was a loaf of bread sat on the table along with a jar of what looked like purple jam.

A large cupboard rested up against the back wall behind the table and they could see some very fine china inside behind the glass. Edgar went closer and felt something stir in his mind. "Locke, do you happen to know who lives here?"

"Not really," Locke replied from a counter which had a pretty vase full of fresh blue and violet flowers. "I've only seen a woman out here watering the flowers and weeding the garden the few times I've come to get some water from the well." He saw a fancy looking clock on the counter, looked like an antique. "By the looks of that messy bed, whoever lives here left in a hurry." Locke said and pointed to the bed in question.

Terra wandered over to another one of the beds and sat down, glad to rest on something that was not a chocobo running at full speed.

"Hopefully that letter that sandworm Addison sent hasn't reached Kefka yet." Edgar said, coming over to look at the fireplace with fresh logs of wood stacked neatly by the hearth.

"Yeah really, I hope we have enough time to get through the mountains before Kefka shows up in South Figaro."

Terra let herself fall onto her back in the bed but felt a soft bump that did not feel like blanket stuffing. "What's this?" she whispered, though this drew Locke's attention away from rummaging around with knick-knacks on the kitchen counter next to a fancy tea set.

She withdrew a large stuffed turtle toy from the blankets. Its shell was dark brown with green embroidery to show different patterns on it and its eyes were little black buttons sewn onto the head.

"There must be a child living here," Terra said as she examined the toy, smiling as she turned it over.

Edgar looked over and upon seeing the toy, he dashed up to Terra and snatched it out of her hands.

"Hey! What's wrong?" the king made Terra's voice fall, not by him raising up a hand, but by the intensity that he looked at the toy.

"It can't be…" he whispered, eyes going wide.

Locke came over to see what was going on and pinched one of the turtle's legs, surprised by the high-quality fabric. "You okay there, Ed? I know it's a cute toy, but that was a bit rude just swiping it out of Terra's hands like that."

Terra nodded a tad at this.

"We've got to go!" Edgar declared and ran out of the cottage without even a glance back to see if his friends were following him, still holding the turtle tightly as he mounted his chocobo.

* * *

Author's Notes: Well hello everybody! After a long hiatus due to work and work and more work, I've gotten back into writing. I have the next chapter already half written, so it should be out soon. Also, I've decided to re-upload the story because the majority of the reviews were for the older version of the fic from like 2013! I wanted to give this a fresh start since I'm finally back into writing regularly.

Thank you for reading!


	7. Mountain Sound

**Looking Down from Cerulean Skies**

**Mountain Sound**

Sabin woke to the odd sensation of having slept in. Since he has been under Master Duncan's care, he never got to sleep in; not even when he was sick. He always had to wake up at the crack of dawn, or sometimes before, depending on the Master's mood, to help prepare breakfast, clean up, and do their morning chores before starting their training for the day.

This made Sabin's stomach churn up with worry.

He rubbed at his eyes and flopped his feet out from under the covers and over to the side of the bed as he pushed his duvet back.

The cottage was dark and quiet. He could see the faint darker shapes of the dining table, wood stove, and cabinets across from his bed, but he could not hear anything at all but his own breathing.

"Did I wake up at midnight?" he murmured to himself, rising from his bed and walked over to the closest window, and pushed back the curtains Duncan's wife sent them last week. The moon was still high and shone its pale light across the land as clouds sailed past to gather in the east.

"Okay, I guess I did wake up too early, but where did they go?" Sabin turned to look at his companions' beds in the dim light and saw that he was right and was not imagining things. Their beds were empty. He really had not heard the sounds of their sleeping soundly.

He ran out the front door, not bothering to close it back, and searched the yard where they did their training, around the practice dummies hanging from the trees out back, the vegetable garden off the side of the house, and the compost heap out at the edge of the woods, but still, he could not find a sign at all of his Master and training partner. The outhouse did not hide any clues, and the flower beds Duncan's wife planted for them years ago were not disturbed either. So that left the woods behind the cottage.

Sabin hurried into the copse of trees and nearly tripped over his Master lying prone on the ground.

"What the—Master Duncan!" Sabin gasped, taking a step back, eyes wide at what he saw. The Master's eyes were scrunched up, and his face was partially hidden by his long dark brown hair with gray trying to peek through due to his age. A stream of blood ran out of his mouth onto the grass.

Sabin dropped to his knees and pulled Duncan roughly into his lap and got a whiff of something strong coming from the man's mouth. Smelled like some strange herbs. They did not have anything that smelled like that for dinner. He felt the side of Duncan's neck for a pulse.

Nothing.

The man's maroon robes he normally wore looked tattered and dirty, as if he had the snot beaten out of him.

How did Sabin not hear any of this happening while he was asleep? Why did he not hear any shouting or a struggle?

"Master, who the hell did this to you?" Sabin choked out, nearing tears now. He pulled the man closer into a hug, still not hearing a sound or feeling a muscle stir.

He heard somebody leap down from one of the trees ahead. He looked up and saw his peer, Vargas.

"Vargas! Your father—look at what's happened! Who could do this to him?!" Sabin cried out.

His peer stepped closer, Sabin could now see the smirk on his tanned face. _What?_

"That old fool had it coming," Vargas said, bringing his hands up to crack his knuckles. "He didn't even put up much of a fight."

The putrid stench hit Sabin's nose again. "You poisoned him!"

Vargas spat on the ground next to him as he stepped closer, "So what if I did? Mother shouldn't have left that medicinal text in the bookcase. The recipe was pretty easy really."

Sabin pushed his Master off his lap and jumped up to his feet, "You bastard! How could you do this to your own father? What will your mother think? How can you ever look her in the eyes again?!" He rushed at Vargas with his fist aimed at his face and his other arm held up to be ready to block off an attack. His punch landed on Vargas's jaw with a crack and drove the man backwards.

"You're a damn coward! Poisoning him and then dragging him off to die in the woods!" Sabin roared and lurched forwards into another attack. Vargas picked himself up quickly and jumped to the side, dodging Sabin's fists and drove his foot underneath Sabin's leg, catching him in the back of the knee and caused him to tumble down. He then jumped high and slammed his other foot down into Sabin's stomach before he could roll out of the way. This forced the wind out of him, along with his dinner all over his face and neck.

Vargas came up and loomed over Sabin with a mocking laugh, "You lose again my friend." With that, he spat in Sabin's face, "See you never."

Sabin heard Vargas take off into the night as he lay there in the forest with his Master. His head spun, his stomach was killing him, and he could see the stars above blinking down at him indifferently. He needed to get up, wash his face off, and do something with his Master. If only he could force himself to move, but an insufferable heaviness held him down on the leaves and moss. He hadn't felt that way in years.

* * *

"Good gosh…" Edgar let out an exasperated sigh.

"What are the journalists whining about now?" Locke asked, trotting up to have a look-see at the newspaper in the king's hands.

"That wannabe aristocrat is spreading rumors about my competence. He thinks that I should do more to please the Emperor to protect the kingdom from war," Edgar sneered, showing Locke the article. Terra quickened her pace to get to Locke's side so she could read too.

"It looks like they have a lot to say about Narshe too…" Terra remarked as she skimmed the page along with the thief.

"_With the unprecedented attack on the coal mining town of Narshe, many in Figaro are in uproar. Narshe has been neutral for decades, and many are questioning the motives behind the attack. Some citizens believe that there is a plot between King Edgar and the Emperor to control the coal trains coming out of the Narshe Mountains. This would impose more taxes on the neighboring provinces if this was to occur._

_Other sources who shall remain anonymous believe that the Empire's raid was motivated by curious fossils and precious stones unearthed in the mines. _

_The question remains: Why would the Empire desire relics of the past?_

_This assault was, no matter how one looks at it, a blatant use of the Empire's growing power and has caused many citizens to fear for our great kingdom._

_Several citizens on the streets believe that South Figaro is the next target for Imperial attack and are hoping that King Edgar makes an agreement with Emperor Gestahl to prevent such an outrageous event from happening._

_Addison of South Figaro believes that King Edgar should do more to strengthen the alliance between Figaro and Vector and possibly send volunteer diplomats to visit the Southern Continent to discuss matters with the Emperor and his court before it's too late…" _Locke finished reading out loud with a disgusted look on his face, not bothering to read the last sentence of the article. He folded it in half and shoved it in a pocket on Edgar's bag.

"I guess the news that Kefka tried to burn down the castle hasn't reached South Figaro yet?" the mage asked, to which Edgar gave a nod.

"If South Figaro knew, we wouldn't be able to move an inch without hearing somebody talking about it," Locke explained while looking up to the blue skies above where birds flew together around the towering mountains.

As the group came to a bend in the yellowing grass covered trail, they encountered a large opening in the rocks. They entered the cave one after another and found that they did not need to light a torch to find their way. There were holes in the ceiling above where stones crumbled away with the weather and wear of many years which created skylights that allowed the sunlight to shine down upon them.

There were huge brown boulders blocking one pathway in the cave and discovering this made Locke let out a dirty swear under his breath.

"You okay?" Edgar asked, looking from his friend to the many carved out passages around them leading who knew where.

Locke shoved his hands roughly into his jacket pockets and turned from the boulder with a scowl, "Yeah, guess I can't grab the little present Arcell left for me."

"What do you mean?" Terra asked, giving the boulder a curious look.

"He's another Returner. We usually leave stuff in a hiding place back there for each other." He started walking away from the stones and headed to another passage where small rocks littered the way. "We like to help each other out, ya know? We leave things like potions and good weapons for each other that we find when we're out on missions."

"Well I suppose you two will have to find another hiding spot for your stolen treasures, huh?" Edgar laughed as he followed along, receiving a nasty glare from the thief.

Terra giggled quietly at this into her hands, trying to muffle herself. She had seen Locke casually tuck things into his pockets while they were in South Figaro. He had taken the opportunity to stock up on soaps and candles while they passed a merchant stall in the marketplace when he thought nobody was looking.

They explored the passageways cautiously, now wary of a possible cave-in after finding a blocked off path. One of the trails led out onto a small ledge with just enough room for one person to stand and a wooden box with a lock on it. Terra offered to retrieve the treasure because she was the lightest of the group and hopefully her weight would not disturb the possibly fragile ground.

She struggled with the lock for a moment, which did not yield and made her hand hurt as it pulled against the metal. She conjured a ball of fire in the palm of her hand and swept the metal apart with a sizzle. The box contained a new magenta tent folded up neatly inside.

Terra brought the bundle back into the cave to show her friends, smiling when they asked how she undid the lock.

"I'll show you if we find another chest," she smiled wider, feeling pleased with herself. Edgar tied the tent to Terra's bag and fastened it in place with the straps attached.

The rest of the cave had two more treasure chests hidden away. One was behind a stack of large stones with a space big enough for Locke to squeeze himself inside to get at, and the other chest was resting in a tunnel that led out to a side trail the continued to a dead end.

Once they reached the exit of the cave after their detour, the trail went steeply upwards, leading ever higher into the mountains.

* * *

Locke whipped his head around to the left, but whatever he saw was gone in a flash.

"What's wrong, Locke?" Edgar asked as he came up to his friend and followed his line of sight, seeing nothing among the stones covered in rich, lush plants growing high towards the sun.

"Seeing things again?" he chuckled to himself and shook his head.

The rogue huffed at this, "Look, just because that last thing I saw was just a stupid rabbit doesn't mean that I'm imagining things!" He gave Edgar a glare, "I'm telling you, something's not right."

"Well at least we were able to get a nice little meal out of that rabbit," Edgar laughed and walked ahead on the grassy trail which grew narrower.

The mountains were windy and blew Terra's hair into her face constantly. She unwrapped one of the scarves around her waist and used it to tie around her head to hide her curls from the gusts. She looked back and saw that Locke was still watching the pile of rocks away from the path, muttering to himself.

Apparently, many of the usual trails Locke used during his trips through these mountains were blocked off. At first, he chalked it up to landslides, but once they worked their way around two paths and came to a third, he said that it was definitely _not_ just bad luck.

"Perhaps the Returners are changing things up to deter any unwanted visitors?" The king suggested, to which Locke said was a possibility. But he seemed to have his doubts. They would have notified him of the plan before he last left the hideout. Banon tended to plan things like that a couple weeks in advance, so unless he caught wind that something was about to happen, Locke would have known. One of the Returners back in South Figaro would have given him a heads up. But nobody had approached him in town, so he figured that the plan was to continue without any major changes.

Terra waited for Locke to come along, and they followed Edgar up the steep trail which wound around a jagged wall of brown stone and then down again to a rope bridge going across a gorge. The skies were clear and blue, with a few clouds swirling off to the west and large plum feathered raptors coasted along, riding the wind currents down all around the lower peaks of the mountains, paying no attention to the travelers below.

The bridge swayed in the strong winds, but the ropes looked secure without any fraying of the fibers, and had wide wooden planks woven together to form the walkway. Locke took the lead here, and showed them that they needed to grasp the ropes in both hands as they crossed, and not to let go for any reason or else they could get easily swept away if a particularly strong breeze blew through the gorge.

Once they all crossed and reached the other end safely, Locke led them along another winding trail jutting out of the side of the mountain where more broken stones littered the trail and soon, the trio came to another block in the road where massive stones were piled in the way.

"What the hell is going on?" Locke demanded of the rocks and clenched his fists as if he was about to start hitting them. He stormed over to the nearest one, dropped his bag, and tried jumping up to find a place where his hands could grab hold but failed after several tries.

Edgar and Terra went up to the rocks and watched as Locke kept trying. Edgar rubbed at his temples with one hand, and Terra hurried over to help Locke stand back up after he did a running start at the rocks and ended up toppling off the side of one and landed on his back.

"Locke, my friend, I don't think that's going to work," Edgar sighed, "Stop wasting your energy trying to tackle the rocks."

Terra pulled Locke up onto his knees, from which he sprang up, "Well there's no other path we can take from here!" He yelled back, exasperated. "We could work around the other roadblocks, but there isn't another way around this one short of outright climbing up the side of the mountain! And that would take too damn long!" Locke stomped over to his travel pack and put it on his shoulder.

"What do _you _propose we do, Kingy?"

Edgar glared daggers at Locke at this, "_I _propose that we rest a moment and think of a solution. There has to be a way to continue onwards." Edgar decided to sit down on the ground and pulled a water bottle from his bag and took a nice long drink. He offered it to Terra, who accepted it and gulped some of the cool water down. Locke didn't want any for the moment. He was too busy watching Edgar while adjusting one of his bandanas that had slipped out of place in his brown hair when he flopped off the rock. One of his beaded earrings got caught painfully upwards under the fabric.

"Hey, about how tall are you, Ed? Six two, three?" Locke asked while still staring at Edgar, particularly at his long legs.

"That sounds about right, why?" he replied, putting the bottle back into a pocket in his bag.

"How about you give me a boost up there?!" the thief exclaimed, excited with his idea.

"No."

"What? Why?"

Edgar stood up from the ground and brushed his denims off, "Because, I don't think I could pick you up. You look too heavy."

"OH, COME ON! You won't even try?!" Locke was practically hopping up and down now. Terra watched all of this with her eyebrows raised high, unsure whether she should say something or not.

The two men argued back and forth for a few minutes with a few insults thrown in before Locke paused and his eyes shot over to Terra, "Well what about lifting Terra up there? She's a lot smaller than me!"

"Huh?" the mage backed up a few paces away from them. "I-I don't think that would be a very good idea…"  
Locke and Edgar did not hear her protest however, and both agreed on the new plan. Locke went over and grabbed her travel pack from her shoulder and Edgar took her hand and led her over to the lowest rock.

"Oh, she can definitely reach up there if you lift her up!" Locke said, very pleased now. He came up behind the two, "Don't worry Terra, I'll be here to help catch you if Kingy drops you."

"I promise I won't drop you, my dear!" Edgar said as he leaned down to pick her up.

"Um, okay," Terra conceded, and allowed the king to lift her up by the waist. "Yes, you're _much _lighter than Locke would be!" He held her up as far as he could, and she reached up and found that she was easily able to grab onto the ledge.

"Awesome!" Locke cried out, "Now give her more of a boost up, Ed!" She felt Edgar grab hold of her legs and push her up higher to help give her more leverage to pull herself up all the way. She crawled away from the edge and straightened her scarf tied around her hair.

"Okay, Ter, I'm going to throw a rope up there, so grab it!" Locke called, and she looked down and saw him pulling a length of rope out of his bag. He came close to the rocks and tossed it up to her, and she caught it. Terra looked around for something to tie the rope to, and found a sturdy looking tree sticking out of the ground nearby.

She went back to the edge, "Okay, I tied it to something! It should be okay for you two to climb up now!" They nodded, and Locke picked up her bag and clambered up the rope first easily. Once he got out of the way, Edgar climbed up slower, trying to be careful instead of going haphazardly like a certain somebody.

They saw that the trail on the other side of the rocks was angled upwards, leading to another dizzying tangle around the mountain. The lack of pressure from being so high up was making Terra's head feel a bit airy, but she tried to ignore it as Locke handed her bag back to her.

The thief clamored over to the other side of the stones and slid down to the grassy path below by the seat of his pants. He waved for them to follow, so Terra carefully slipped herself down, using her hand to help control the speed, and felt instant relief once her boots touched the ground.

Once Edgar was safely down from the rocks as well, the group continued on their way upwards over the mountains until they finally reached a little cave Locke said that he and fellow Returners used as a safe place to spend the night after a long day of hiking. The cave had a couple steel torches bolted into the rock walls, and a place created in the stone ground for making a campfire.

Terra went up to the torches and cast a fire spell on each one. She saw that the cave was indeed small, but they had more room than if they pitched a tent for the night. She sat her pack up against the back wall of the cave and untied her sleeping bag from it while Locke was fiddling with something next to the entrance. Something cracked, and when she turned, she saw that Locke was pulling a makeshift door into place. There was a carved-out piece at the top of the door so the smoke from their fires could go out into the fresh air outside.

"That's a clever door! It must blend into the rocks on the other side," Edgar said, watching Locke twist a sort of latch which secured it from any outsiders trying to come in. "Who came up with it?"

Locke clapped his hands against each other to remove any dirt or dust, "My buddy Arcell. Remember him? He's a wiz with carving stone and wood." He sat his bag next to Terra's and started unclipping his sleeping bag to settle it down on a bit of ground where there weren't many sharp rocks.

Edgar pulled out a loaf of bread wrapped up in a newspaper from his bag and sat it next to him, "Ah yes, isn't he the messy haired scrub who tried sneaking into the maid's quarters the last time you came to visit me?" Edgar gave his companions a sly grin. "I remember him scaring my girls half to death! Timed it to where he could see them preparing for bed. Didn't even have the courtesy to single one out to take a nice stroll in the moonlight to get to know each other better first!"

Locke paused rolling out his sleeping bag. "Uh, yeah. Him. Hair's not that scruffy though." He coughed and finished settling the sleeping bag out.

"And isn't he the one with the fiancé, too?" Edgar snickered and looked over at Terra, who was watching the exchange with curious eyes. "It's unfortunate, isn't it, my lady? The poor girl probably isn't aware of that little story! I wonder what she would think."

Terra wasn't sure what to think about that. She did remember what a fiancé was though. When she closed her eyes to try to pull the images together, she saw men requesting envelopes and stamps so they could write letters to their loved ones. And overhearing jokes about certain soldiers not wearing their rings on purpose when they travelled to different cities…different districts…

"Hey Ed, why do you have this newspaper guarding the bread? I haven't read that one yet," she heard Locke say along with some crinkling, and opened her eyes.

It seemed to be getting darker already, so she whispered "_fire" _to herself, and willed a small flame to float over from her hand to the fireplace and let it sit and crackle to life without a thing for it to burn. Maybe she could get a spare page from the newspaper to throw into her fire to help keep the flame strong. She could keep it going without something to cling to, but it made her weary. A little help would cut the tie between her energy and the spell.

As she made to get up and ask Edgar for a page of the newspaper, she saw the front cover of the article Locke was reading peeking out from over his shoulder. Tears instantly stung at her eyes and glued her in place.

"Damn, it's wild to believe that a girl her age could do that," Locke muttered to himself as he read. The king nodded solemnly, and then saw Terra's face.

"Terra, what ever is the matter?" he asked, a look of astonishment now on his face, and came over to sit next to her.

She couldn't make a sound and couldn't stop staring at that angular, cold, cold, cold face. The same man from Figaro castle.

Locke looked over, and upon realizing that she saw the photograph, folded it immediately and threw it behind him as if doing so would make it disappear altogether. The paper smacked against the side of the cave and fell open, now showing photos of people on chocobos.

Her head started pounding and swaying and she had to close her eyes to still the feeling that she was falling. She had to focus on how she was sitting on the ground, friends near, away from harm.

"Ter, I'm sorry that we let you see that," she heard Locke saying in a rushed tone, hearing him shuffle closer in front of her. She felt Edgar wrap an arm around her thin shoulders, "Don't worry, you're safe with us."

Terra shook her head, tearing falling from her cheeks, and asked Locke for the newspaper. He protested, saying that it might make her feel worse, but she asked again.

"I-I need to see it…I want to remember."

"Are you sure? I mean I dunno if-" the thief said with concern in his eyes as he reached back to grab the paper. She opened her eyes and as soon as it was close enough, she snatched the paper from his hand while he was still worrying over her.

Edgar felt Terra tremble as she held the newspaper with both hands and took in the picture and the headline above it.

She knew that long beard of the Emperor's, and how the man next to him seemed to tower over her in metal plated halls and felt the intensity of those cold eyes upon her. She struggled to remember the young woman though, trying to search the foggy depths of her memory as she read about how she toppled a city.

* * *

A stuffed dummy in the shape of a person burned up in a puff of smoke.

"Wonderful Terra! Now take ten paces backwards and do it again," said a metallic voice from an intercom above their heads in the practice yard.

She did as instructed, and again, the next dummy in the line-up suffered the same fate. They were testing distance that day.

"Now your turn!" said the voice. "Step ten paces forward from Terra's position and let's see how your spells fare."

A girl with long, slightly wavy blonde hair in a green tunic and knee-high white boots walked out from the side of the practice yard and came up to Terra with a happy smile. She brushed her hand against Terra's as she got into position and took her ten steps.

She felt a surge of energy come from the girl who held both of her hands up together with her palms facing the dummy, "Blizzard!" A shot of twinkling snowflakes fluttered from her hands and they struck the dummy dead on. It was instantly covered in ice.

"Good, good!" Came the voice again, squawking above. "Back to Terra's side and do it once more."

The girl turned and walked back to Terra, smiling at her again, bright blue eyes meeting her green. She couldn't help but smile back. She stayed close as the girl concentrated and let her next spell fly. This time the snowflakes skittered around a few yards before it reached the dummy with a flash of light. Terra saw that her face had fallen. She let out a sigh that made her whole body seem to droop down.

"We'll have to focus on that some more. We can't have your spells losing track like that." Now the voice was behind them instead of on the intercom.

The girls both turned and saw a middle-aged man with bushy dark eyebrows poking out from behind some heavy copper goggles. His matching mustache made it look like he was always unhappy.

"We'll have to cancel your runic lesson today so you can practice some more." He pointed at Terra with a tanned gloved finger. "Kefka is waiting for you inside. We'll go ahead and do your testing, Terra."

He turned back to the other girl, "I'll have Leo come out to help you. You need to learn how to control your spells better like Terra." When the man in the heavy beige lab coat turned to leave, the blonde stuck her tongue out at his back and rolled her eyes.

Terra refused to look back up until the man walked past her, and then met eyes with the other girl. They shared a disappointed sigh. She was looking forward to the runic lesson today. She loved casting her spells at her friend and watching how the girl inhaled them. Her whole body would shimmer, and her hair would fly out as she absorbed the spells into her body. Terra would only cast healing spells at her because she refused to hurt her friend. Kefka was the one who would cast the flames and bolts of lightning. She looked as if she breathed them into her lungs as the energy struck her.

It was like a special time nobody else could understand unless they knew magic and could feel the beautiful energy washing over them in waves from all directions.

She went to the girl and grasped both of her hands, "Let's meet in the library later?"

"Yes, we have to get good grades on our math quiz tomorrow."

"Terra, come on," came another voice from behind them, "The tube's waiting." The voice seemed to spit out these words with disdain.

She turned and let go of her hands, really wishing that she could stay. Terra had to do those tests every single day. Why couldn't she have a day off from it? She took a last look at the girl before entering the building and saw her friend's eyes squeezed shut and jaw clenched, as if fighting back tears.

* * *

Terra woke up to the sounds of a metal pot boiling and Locke munching on an apple. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes with one hand. They felt puffy and sore.

Edgar was sitting on his sleeping bag with his legs crossed, sipping on a steaming mug and reading a large leather-bound book that took up his lap. His glasses were trying to slide down his nose as he read.

"Want some tea, Terra?" asked Locke from where he sat in front of the fireplace. There were pages from the newspaper at the heart of the flames. He popped the remaining bit of apple into his mouth with a loud crunch. "Edgar has another cup's worth over there." He waved a hand at the king.

"Sure," she replied while pulling her legs out of her sleeping bag and stretched them out and rolled her feet around in the air as she did so, making her ankles pop with relief. Locke grabbed the teapot from its spot next to the king and pulled a deep olive glazed mug from his travel pack. She was still trying to figure out how the thief managed to carry around so many things.

"Here, I'll heat it up over the fire real quick," Locke replaced his pot with the tea and started pouring the dark water into another mug he had sat out in front of him. It smelled like coffee. He produced a yellow apple from his bag and offered it to her. She accepted it and took a small bite—it was almost too sweet! Terra continued to eat though and watched as the thief poured her tea into the glazed mug and handed that to her too.

A soft light ebbed into the cave from the small opening at the top of the stone door, signaling that morning had come. They could hear faint bird cries too while they ate their breakfasts and slowly woke up for the day. They were nearing the end of the trail leading out of the mountains and would soon be on their way through the valley leading to the Returner's hideout. Locke told them the night before that if they made good time and did not have any hiccups along the way, then they would probably reach the hideout by that evening after the sun went down.

Once Locke had finished off his coffee and scarfed down another yellow apple, he started stuffing things back into his travel pack and urged Edgar to put away his book to help out.

"I'm almost done with this chapter, give me a few more minutes…" he said, eyes not leaving the page.

"Ugh, why are you bothering reading that anyways, Ed? Don't you know all of that stuff already?" Locke finished securing his sleeping bag snugly in place to his travel pack and went over to Terra's to help her do the same.

"Because," Edgar sighed, glancing over at his friend, "Others come up with unique ideas for how to make things and it helps me think of how to create machines from a different vantage point." The king's eyebrows knit together with annoyance as he continued studying the pages.

"_That book must be really interesting…I wonder if he'll let me look at it later." _Terra watched Edgar read, her tea growing cool in her hands, and glanced away when she saw him raise his eyes up to meet hers.

"Okay Ter, you're all set!" Locke held out his hand for her cup after she took her last long drink from it. He drew a gray bandana from his back pocket and wiped it down quickly to dry up any remaining tea so it wouldn't make his things damp. He reached over to his bag a few feet away and tucked the mug inside.

"Hey Locke? Don't look over here for a moment please?" Terra held up a clean pair of pink stockings, signaling that she wanted to change out her current pair. He nodded and obediently turned away, willing Edgar to not look up from his book as he heard Terra shuffle around briefly. Luckily, the king's attention had gone back to his reading and didn't seem to notice what Terra was doing.

"I'm done," came her soft voice. Locke looked over his shoulder at her, seeing her smoothing her dress down over her thighs and tucking her other pair into her bag.

"Alright, let's get a move on!" Locke stood and stretched his hands out high above his head with a loud pop. At this, Edgar gave a sigh and snapped his book shut after marking his place by folding down the corner of the page.

Locke unlatched the stone door and started pulling it away, revealing the bright morning sun rising slowly over the mountains. The air was crisp and fresh when Terra stepped outside, bringing her arm up to shield her eyes from the sudden light. Birds let out chirps from nearby cliffs where they nested, and the wind blew lazily along the trails as if it was still waking up for the day.

The thief led them back onto the main trail which started going downwards steeply, "It looks like we're nearly outta here guys!" He pointed at a cave opening coming into view. "Just be careful with your footing; it's really easy to slip through here."

"Thank goodness! All of this mountain air has been making me feel so dizzy," Edgar replied and let out a yawn. "I could use a nice bath! Roughing it like this is fun for a while, but I hate letting my hair get so messy."

"Oh, don't worry, we have a nice setup at the hideout where fresh river water comes out of a spout like back in town. No bucket baths for us," Locke didn't get to finish his sentence.

His body was thrown into the side of the mountain with a crash that made gravel rain down from above.

"What was that?!" Terra gasped a breath before seeing a huge blur bound down from the stone cliffs above the cave opening.

The thief rubbed at the back of his neck before shouting, "Hey, what the hell was that for?!" He didn't seem too banged up by the attack and stood, withdrawing a dagger from his belt.

The culprit was now standing in the entrance of the cave with his tattooed arms crossed. The man stood taller than Edgar with rippling muscles underneath sun tanned skin and his long black hair was gathered up in a high ponytail which wafted along with the wind blowing down on them.

He sneered down at the trio as they stood their ground, readying for another attack, "Well then, looks like more of you Returner rats are headed to your precious hideout."

"Who are you?" Edgar demanded, reaching back to grab his crossbow from over his shoulder.

This made the stranger laugh, "You'd think you little bandits would get the hint after some of your comrades 'mysteriously' disappear!"

"Wait," Locke interjected, jaws clenched, and shoulders tensed, "So you're the asshole who's been murdering my friends!"

"They were good practice," the man snorted, now taking a step towards them, "Some of them put up quite a fight, and I hope you three will too!" With that, he launched himself at the group with such speed that they couldn't see but a blur rush from sight.

Before Locke or Edgar could react, they were thrown back with a bone-crushing blow, nearly landing on top of Terra as she scuttled out of the way.

"Fire!" she cried out in a shriek and sent a wave of flames at their attacker, but he somehow deflected her spell with a quick movement of his arms.

"_Special armor?" _she grimaced and made more balls of fire lash out at the man.

He couldn't dodge all of her strikes and let out deep shouts as the scent of burning flesh soon filled the air. Edgar untangled himself from Locke and left their travel packs on the ground behind Terra and aimed his crossbow at their attacker. He let loose a round of steel arrows, a few catching in the man's side as he dashed away from Terra's spells.

"Enough of your tricks!" the man cried, rushing at the mage and threw her backwards into the rock wall. His tough hand closed around her throat before she could move out of his reach.

"Terra!" Locke shouted, leaping up to sprint up behind the stranger with his dagger ready. Terra struggled against the man's grip, finding it harder and harder to breathe, unable to release more fire as she clawed at his hand with both of hers.

The thief slashed from behind and managed to leave a long heavy gash on the stranger's back. Locke ducked when a heavy arm swatted back at him and cut at whatever he could reach.

The king readied his crossbow to let loose another round of arrows when a voice from above thundered through the mountain pass.

"Leave them be, Vargas!" Another tall man bounded down from the ledges overlooking the scene.

Vargas loosened his grip on Terra's neck and let her fall to the ground with a sickening thump. Locke hurried over to her side and pulled her upright and withdrew a potion from one of his pockets.

Edgar let the arm holding his crossbow slump down at his side, eyes wide in shock, "Sabin?!"

He received a big grin from his twin before he turned his attention to Vargas.

"My, my, my, I figured you would still be crying over that old fool!" Vargas made his way over, shaking his head with mock pity.

"That 'old fool' was your father! How in the hell could you kill him in his sleep like that?" Sabin shouted back; his face contorted with anger now.

The man went a few paces closer, giving a shrug, "He was an old coward, wanting nothing more than peace and caring for stupid pretty flowers and rabbits. He never saw my full potential, never cared to show me what true power was!"

"But he was! He was showing us how to achieve strength with purity and inner peace! All you care about are short cuts!"

"Well," Vargas growled, "If you want inner peace so bad, I'll send you to where you'll have all the damn peace you want!" And with that Vargas rushed at Sabin and sent him flying backwards into the rock wall.

But Sabin spun in the air and hit the rocks with his feet and used the momentum to kick off and caught Vargas in the face with his fist on his way back. Vargas hit the ground hard. Sabin rolled himself to a quick stop and jumped back to Vargas, ready with another punch.

The other man pulled himself up, cheek bleeding, and aimed a kick into Sabin's side just as he appeared. That sent him sideways a couple steps, but Sabin righted himself and breathed deep. He did not want to fight, but something inside told him that Vargas would not stop, would never apologize.

Vargas stood, facing the prince, "You'll have to do better than that little Sabin."

He brought his hands palms together in front of his chest and whispered something briefly. Sabin couldn't catch what he said, but as soon as he felt the air around them moving erratically, he knew.

The wind whirled around them and then built up into a sphere around Vargas before exploding from the man's hands at Sabin. He was thrashed back into the stones, unable to maneuver at all, as if the wind had turned into giant hands holding him in place for another blast from Vargas to strike Sabin right in his abdomen. The pain was so sudden that he didn't even have the time to cry out from the force of what felt like a hurricane pounding into him. The wind had become like daggers and sliced into his skin before the attack finally let up. He fell to all fours, chest heaving, drops of blood falling to the dirt under him. His shirt was torn all the hell.

He heard Vargas coming towards him laughing that taunting laugh that had plagued their years together. "Father always said that air was my element!"

This made Sabin grit his teeth. He breathed deep from his nose and exhaled slowly from his mouth several times to help calm his mind. He concentrated on the feeling of the sun bearing down on his back and shoulders, feeling the light soak in, feeling as if he could sense the ground below absorbing the rays as well. Everything went bright.

He pulled himself up into the proper stance, knees bent and loose, brought his arms up above his head, willing the energy to move around within and leaped to Vargas before the man could take another step forward. His fists moved in a flurry of light and speed, allowing the energy to move him, keep punching, pummeling his friend everywhere that he could reach.

When the light faded, Vargas was lying strewn out on his back on the ground, blood running out of his nose and ears. His shoulder looked crushed in, ugly bleeding welts littered his arms, chest, everywhere.

Sabin exhaled deeply, sweat dripping from his face as he took in the sight. Vargas coughed roughly and bloody spit flew out of his mouth.

He made his way over to Vargas, feeling tears forming the closer he got. He brushed one of his hands up through his golden hair once he reached his friend's side.

Vargas cracked his undamaged eye open and glared up at the prince, "Wh-when did he teach y-you…" He coughed again, shuddering his whole body violently with the action. More blood flung from his lips. Sabin shook his head and grimaced down at him, "If only you hadn't been in such a rush." He turned away from Vargas, "Until we meet again."

When he looked up and saw his brother standing several yards away, the tears finally fell from his eyes.

"Brother!" Edgar shouted and dropped his crossbow in favor of running up to his twin. He pulled him into a tight hug, not caring about the blood on his twin's clothes. Sabin returned the embrace twice as hard, unable to believe that his older brother was really there with him.

"Come on," came another voice. Sabin looked through his tears down at the bandanaed guy pulling the petite mint haired girl along after him. "I think it'd be best for us to have the reunion somewhere else guys." He saw him nod his head in the direction of Vargas. Edgar agreed and grabbed his brother by the hand for the first time in years and guided him away into the cave that led out of the Kolt mountains.

Once in the shadowy cave, Sabin wiped the tears away with his free hand and almost bumped into Edgar in the dark when he stopped suddenly in front of him.

"Thanks Locke," Edgar said, taking his bag and crossbow from the thief. The group continued through the small cave to the warm light on the other end, leading to the grassy valley at the base of the mountains. The king's grip on his brother's hand only tightened as they walked along back into the sunlight.

"So," Locke stopped and spun around, letting go of Terra's shoulder to face the brothers, "You're the Sabin I've heard so much about!"

Sabin smiled, "Heh, yes." He looked down at his brother, "Been talking about me a lot, hmm?"

Edgar gave a big smile back, "Well of course! You're one of my favorite topics!"

The king gestured to his companions, "Sabin, I'd like to introduce you to Locke and Terra. I've been traveling with them to the Returner's hideout."

Sabin put his free hand on his hip, "What happened at the castle? Aren't you supposed to be king-ing?"

Edgar sighed, "It's a long story. We'll catch you up on the way."

"Sounds good! I'll catch you guys up too." He brought his twin in for another hug, "You have no idea how much I've missed you, Edgar."

Terra stepped up to the men silently and gently pulled something from Edgar's bag. "Um, Sabin? Is this yours?"

She held the turtle toy up to his eye level.

The prince let out a gasp, "Mister Turtle!" He let go of Edgar in favor of grasping the stuffed animal with both hands. "Where'd you get him?"

"Well, we stopped by a little cottage to rest for the night a couple days ago and I found it. Edgar stole it and said something about finding somebody." She gazed up at the giant of a man now hugging the toy like a young child. She was amazed at how much he resembled Edgar. From the pointed nose to the sharply defined jaw lines to his dark blue eyes, he was almost like a mirror image! He was taller than the king though, and much more muscular. Also, he had strange swirling red markings leading up his arms to his shoulders and down his back from what she had seen so far.

He gave her that Figaro smile that made her heart flutter slightly, "Thank you guys for bringing it. I know it seems kinda silly, but Mister Turtle's been my best buddy since I was a kid." She gave him a shy smile.

"No problem big guy!" Locke couldn't help smiling with them, "Now let's head to the hideout! I bet they'll have dinner ready for us!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hello everyone! I thought I was going to have this chapter out sooner, but with everything going on in my state recently, and with my work, well let's just say that I've been distracted. I had a lot of fun with this chapter, and hopefully I'll have the next chapter out sometime in July. I have some of it written already, so hopefully it'll go by quickly.

Also, the turtle toy is a sort of inside joke/silly head canon of mine from years ago. Those of you who may have read my Figaro Bros fic Grains of Sand will catch the reference. My best friend Fop, who's also my beta-reader has always said that I latch onto the weirdest details from video games, and in the SNES version of the game, somebody mentions having a pet turtle. I can't remember if that's in the GBA/PS2 versions though...anyhoo, thanks so much for reading!

-Moogle


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